as he doth these things that in doctrine and example he goe before his flocke he may looke for duetie at their hand or if they performe it not yet he may say my reward is with God and my recompence with the most high Thus much for those superiours that haue authoritie in the Church and their inferiours The superiors and inferiors in the Common wealth follow and those are Magistrate and people The first duetie of the subiect is inward and outward submission in heart to reuerence and outwardly to obey the Magistate as is commaunded Rom. 13. Let euery soule be subiect to the highest powers He commands not onely a bodily subiection which may be in the most rebellious persons that resist authoritie and lie open to the curse of God for this sinne but a submission inward of the soule as vnto a sparke of Gods authoritie and an appointment or if this inward be not first the outward subiection will faile vpon euery light occasion There must be an outward subiection also in obeying their commands so farre as they command lawfull things As Titus 3. 1. Put them in remembrance that they be subiect to all in authoritie and obedient But if it so fall out that the Prince or any inferiour Magistrate command things vnlawfull against the commandement of God then indeed one must with Peter say It is better to obey God then man But yet so as one be content without murmuring or resistance to beare with euery punishment shall be layd vpon him euen to death As Daniel when the king made a wicked Edict would not yeelde vnto it but yet he was content to yeelde to the punishment with patience and neuer went about to gather a power in his owne defence against the king And the three Children would not preferre Nebuchadnezars commandements before Gods but yet they did not by rebellion seeke their owne deliuerance but quietly gaue vp themselues to death expecting helpe onely from God So that if the Magistrates command be lawfull the subiect must obey but if he command an vnlawfull thing he must not rebell but suffer the punishment without murmuring euen in heart as Eccle. 16. 20. Curse not the king no not in thine heart nor the rich in thy bed chamber for the foules of the ayre shall discrie it Though the king or any in authoritie vnder him doe thee wrong yet allowe noe mischeiuous and wicked thought against them for if thou doe God will bring it to light But if the king be vniust and wicked then wee must pray to God to conuert him as Paule commands Tim. that as our sinnes haue brought an ill gouernour ouer vs so our prayers may remoue him or better him This the first dutie then is subiection without gainsaying The second is to pay their due willingly and freely without grudging as Paule speakes tribute to whome tribute custome to whome custome and not euery paiments else are necessarie for the maintaynance of their state partly that they may be able to represse rebels and enemies and partly that hauing suffient maintainance from the peoples cost they may not be distracted but may bend their whole indeuour to good gouernment and protection of the people The duties of the magistrate follow for he hath his charge to and much is required of him to whome much is giuen First then his dutie is to looke to godlinesse that religion and pure worship of God be confirmed and maintained in his land as 1. Tim. 2. 2. Paule wills to pray for these in authoritie that we may liue a godly life vnder them And now that which we must pray to God for that they may doe is their dutie to doe First then a magistrate according to the authoritie of his place must haue a care of godlinesse and looke that the pure worship of God be set vp and all false and idolatrous worship suppressed And thus did the godly and christian kinge in time before As Iosiah and Hezekiah and others whose first and eagerest worke was to pull downe all idols and to exhort and command their people to practise the pure and holy worshippe of GOD according to his worde and where this is not doone the duties of the seconde Table must needes bee neglected The second dutie of the magistrate is to maintaine peace and quietnes to prouide for the vnity and concord of their subiects as in the same place of Timothie that we may liue a godly peaceable and a quiet life Nowe they may prouide for peace by pulling downe and repressing the wicked with their authoritie as also by maintaining and defending the innocent and rewarding the good for vnlesse the magistrate declare his strenght and shew his authoritie against sinners they will be practising and stirring against Gods children the Serpent will nibble at the Heele darkenesse will hate light and the dogs will be wurrying the sheepe the diuell driues them and needs they must be troublesome as he their captaine is for an ill conscience is feirce and hauing not the peace of God to quiet them they cannot be quiet what way must be taken then the Magistrate must make them quiet by shewing them the edge of the sworde he must hamper them and let them see that if they be troublesome it shall be to their owne cost they shall trouble themselues and this will some thinge bridle them that good men may haue some reasonable peace by them The third dutie of Magistrates is to procure honestie as in the same place of Timothie the Apostle speakes Nowe this they must doe by remouing all lewd practises and persons and those thinges that are occasions to them as stewes and houses of filthenesse as houses of gamning which are meanes to prouoke men to much lust and vnthriftinesse contrarie to ciuill honestie and good manners These things the Magistrates must reforme so farre as his authoritie will stretch or else hee is not faithfull in his place And this was commended in Asa that hee putte the Sodomites out of the land An other point of honestie is to take order about the poore in a good honest sort First for rogues and runnagates that being strong and lustie make begging and wandring their trade of life that they be seuerely punished and set to worke That no maintenance or allowance be giuen vnto them for as the Apostle saith He that will not worke let him not eate And what more dishonest thing in a Christian commonwealth then that such men should be permitted which pollute the ayre and fill the land with sinne making their whole life nothing else but a continuall practise of filthines theft and idlenes sonnes of Sodom that liue without a calling without a magistracie without a ministerie That neyther glorifie God nor serue the prince not profit the cōmonwealth but are an vnspeakable burden to the earth blot to the state as droanes liuing on other mens labours and the sweat of other mens browes These filthie persons this cursed and vngodly
ofspring and vnprofitable generation this drosse of the land refuse and of scouring of the world must be purged away by the hand of the magistrate in whom hand there is power and to whom God hath for this entent committed the sword that they cut off or amend such rotten braunches And this the excellent and worthie example of Iob sufficiently confirmes who though he was aboundant in mercie and in all libertie to the poore and needie whose necessitie not idlenesse made them stand in need of his helpe so that he was an eye to the blind as euery good magistrate especially ought to be and a foot to the lame c. yet for these wicked persons he so hated their sonnes and so sharply punished their persons as that they had rather flie to the wildernesse and embrace the rockes lye among the bushes and eate the Iuniper rootes then be seene in that place where Iob had any thing to doe or come within the limits of his authoritie yea so infamous where they growen that men shouted at them as at a theefe and they were almost quite banished from the company of men And he giues this reason they were villaines and the sonnes of villaines more base and vilde then the earth which they tread vpon this sentence the holy Ghost giues of these yong and lustie roguing vagrants But one might say be they not men and beare Gods image Nay saith he they haue so defaced Gods Image as that they be not to be compared to the dogs of my flocke the dogs of the flock doe good in defending the sheepe but these are good for nothing but to dishonour God and staine and defile the land with all filthinesse and whordome Therefore those whom God hath made the head and hands of the commonwealth must ioyne their endeauour together to root out the race of vngodly and vilde persons Which some time agone was by wholesome and good lawes somthing well redressed among vs but now through the negligence of the inferiour magistrates and foolish pittie in not executing these lawes they begin to reuiue afresh and if the wiser care and diligence of magistrates in higher place be not will take head again to the shame of them the hurt of the whole commonwealth Therefore as they will haue a care to performe their owne duty and wipe away their owne shame and heale manifold euils of the commonwealth and hinder manifold foule sinnes amongst men and establish a chiefe point of honestie in and by their gouernment they must sweepe away this filth of the earth and so that no allowance or maintenance be giuen vnto them for the onely mercie to such is to helpe them out of their sinne by punishment and a great note of friendship and loue to God and the commonwealth is to amend or cut of those that be professed enemies to both Secondly for such as are impotent and by reason eyther of age or weaknesse or want of limmes cannot labour or else if they haue strength and vse of it cannot earne so much as to maintaine them and their family they must be helped by the prouident care of the magistrate and christian orders for that case that they be not constrained to beg their bread for it is a most dishonest and base thing to see men stand whining at the doore like dogs for bread and this corrupts their manners and is contrarie to all good nature and destroyes the seeds of any good disposition in them festring the minde with idlenesse and drawing a thicke skinne of impudence ouer their faces Therefore to preuent these euils and hurts the wise and mercifull diligence of the magistrate must take order for their timely and christian reliefe And thus much for superiours with authoritie The superiours without authoritie follow and their inferiours and those are eyther in Giftes Or Age. The duties of those that are inferiour to others in gifts is first to acknowledge it and reuerence them for their gifts If God bestowed vpon any one more godlinesse more wisedom more discretion or vnderstanding though he haue no authoritie yet he hath an excellencie superioritie aboue those which haue not equall gifts and this they must acknowledge to Gods glory and reuerence him that God hath honoured Else they clip the Lords coyne and deface his image if whom God hath graced with the spirit of wisedome and counsell with grace and power ouer their affections and such like they by obscuring them so farre as they can hinder the glorie of God and the good fruit that might come by them They must then with reuerence be acknowledged And thus the woman of Canaan that at first rested with Christ at length perceiuing his giftes acknowledgeth him to be a Prophet for so farre onely she saw then and deales more reuerently with him And Nabuchadnezar seeing that Daniel was endued with wisedome and knowledge from God to expound dreams more then he or any of his nobles doth confesse this and reuerence him for it But contrary is their practise which through enuy pride set themselues to depraue or to lessen other mens grace think no gifts worth looking after but their owne and iudge all men fooles besides themselues Yet they thinke it a dutie that other men should acknowledge their outward gifts as wealth and such like and reuerence them for it as indeed they ought with a ciuil reuerence for peace sake but no man is bound to thinke better of them for their wealth sake and why then do not they themselues confesse the inward gifts bestowed vpon others which are much more excellent The second dutie of inferiours in gifts is to make a good vse of the gifts that others haue beyond them imitating the godlinesse and patience that they see in them taking direction and crauing counsell at his wisedome and vnderstanding as to reuerence these graces in another so to labour for them in themselues as it were to light their candle at his and to draw some few drops from his ful bucket Thus the womā of Canaan so soone as she perceiued Christ to be an other maner of person then she thought she left of iesting and fell to aske him some questions of religion that she might be the better for meeting with a prophet And Pharo perceiuing Iosephs wisedome and prouident foresight put him in such place where his good might procure the common good And Nabuchadnezar seeing Daniels fitnesse for an high place of office preferd him where he might put his wisedome other graces to the proofe and practise And this effect will manifest that one doth acknowledge and reuerence the gifts of others else all shewe of accounting of them is but hypocriticall and shall yeelde no comfort to the soule afterwards This shames and reprooues them that one may speake many graue and godly speaches in their hearing before they learne any piece of one to follow it how manie examples of patience and holinesse and mortification may they see in a
oppressed he will not suffer that his sacred name shal be thus wickedly abused to be made a shelter for lies and slaunders but when the good time comes he will let the world see how vildly and shamefully they dealt and though now whilst God holdeth his peace they flatter themselues and care not a jot to prophane his name so they may effect their malicious purpose and matters goe on their side yet God will haue a care that their wickednesse shall returne and fall vpon their owne heads their owne shame shall couer their faces and the wrong done both to his name and to his seruants shal be fully discouered and auenged Thus much concerning the third commandement for the glorifieng of Gods name Now followes the fourth In these words following Remember that thou keepe holy the sabboth day sixe daies shalt thou labour do all that thou hast to doe but the seauenth day is the sabboth of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt doe no manner of worke thou and thy sonne and thy daughter thy man seruant thy maide seruant thy cattell and the stranger that is within thy gates c. THe summe of this fourth commandement is to command the setting a part of the seauenth day from all worldlie busines and affaires to the exercises of religion and mercie and in the night that our sleepe also be seasoned with the word and the exercise of which we haue bene pertakers The parts are two The one sets downe the duties to be performed the other the reasons to moue vs to performe them The duties two fold shewing what we should doe and from what we should decline The things to be done is keeping it holie celebrating an holie rest vnto God The things to be forborne are all body lie works and to see that those which be vnder our gouernment as children seruants and all inferiours doe the like and that our beasts be not put to any ciuill labour yea that the stranger when hee comes amongst vs doe not openly prophane the same though wee cannot inforce him to come to the publik exercises yet those that are in superioritie must restraine him from publik violating of it by open working and must lay the authoritie so farre vpon him as that they suffer him not among their people and in their jurisdiction in the face of the congregation openlie to breake the commandement of God The reasons are diuerse first drawne from the equitie and righteousnesse of it in these words sixe daies shalt thou labour q. d. I haue giuen thee six daies for thy businesse and haue taken but one for my selfe therfore thou must be verie well contented to yeeld to me in this so reasonable and equall a commandement If I had taken sixe to my seruice giuen thee but one for the works of thy caling yet thou shouldest in dutie haue obeyed me but now that I am so liberall to thee and scant to my selfe hauing so large allowance there is no reason why thou shouldest refuse The second reason is taken from the authoritie and right of God in these words The seauenth day is the sabboth of the Lord thy God q. d. I haue taken it to my selfe I haue challenged it to my selfe to bee imployed in my seruice it is my day not thine therfore vnlesse thou will bee accounted a sacrilegious theefe to take holie things for vnholie vses vnlesse thou wilt deuoue things that bee sanctified to thine owne destruction see that thou meddle not with it it is a part of the church treasurie thou shalt be no better then a church robber if thou conuert it to thine owne vses The third reason is taken from Gods example in these words For in sixe daies the Lord made heauen earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seauenth daie q. d. if thou wilt follow example and bee led by others then follow the example of the best now what better example can there be then the example of God himselfe now God himselfe when he went to make the world and all the things in the world contriued all his works so as that he finished them within the compasse of sixe dayes and on the seuenth day did rest from all his works of creation onely preseruing those things which before he had made therefore from his example learne thou so to dispatch all thy businesse on the sixe daies as that on the seauenth day ceasing from labour in thy calling thou maist wholy giue thy selfe to the duties of sanctification and to meditate on Gods power and greatnesse in his sixe dayes work for which end as one speciall thing to bee done in it he hath appointed this resting of the seuenth day The last reason is taken from the end of the sabboth in these words Wherfore the Lord blessed the sabboth day and hallowed it q. d. If neither the equitie of the commandement nor the authoritie and right of God nor yet his example will preuaile with thee to perswade thine hart to keepe this commandement yet in regard of thine owne profit and the benefit thou shalt reape to thy selfe yeld to keepe it holy for God hath not taken this to himselfe for any commoditie that he shall haue by it but euen for thy good for he hath appointed it for holy vses that it might be a meanes of blessing not vpon the soule onely but euen vppon the body and estate of those that obserue it there is no readier way to bring Gods blessing vpon any man then the sanctifying of it nor no more present meanes to pull downe a curse then the neglecting and breaking of it Therefore if thou loue thy selfe and wouldest haue prosperitie on thy soule and bodie yeld so much obedience to God as to sanctifie his sabboth Thus much concerning the summe and exposition of this commandement Now because there be many that doe disagree in this doctrine of the sabboth and account the keeping holy of the seuenth day in the number of those ceremonies which be abrogated by Christ and reached onely to the Iewes therefore it is requisite that we approue and confirme by some sound reasons out of Gods word that this commandement is morall and perpetuall and as carefully to be kept vnder the gosple as vnder the law and to continue in force so long as any of the commandements euen so long as there is this world and a Church militant vpon earth The first reason to confirme this may be drawne from those reasons which God vseth for the confirmation of it in the text the reasons are all of them perpetuall and none of them ceremoniall and euery one as much belongs vnto vs as vnto them and therefore it is without reason to make the commandement it selfe of lesse scope and binding fewer to keepe it then those reasons which are brought to confirme it For goe through the whole commandement what one word in all of it hath any note of ceremony what reasō sauours of any
that with a true hart is willing to be taught and to confound also and condemne and leaue without excuse before Gods judgement seat such as will not yeeld to playne and strong reasons drawne out of the word of God but continue obstinate in their false conceits But because the point may be more plaine and manifest it is good to answere some of their objections whereby they would ouerturne this plaine truth Now the grand obiection is because we keep not the same sabboth that the Iewes did but the day is altered therefore they say we must keepe none This is their argument of so great waight but how foolish it shall appeare easily if we examine it a little more narrowly For though we keepe not the selfe same day that they did yet we haue the same commandement authoritie for our day that that they had for theirs Therfore this day that we keepe is called the Lords day in Reuel 1. Where Iohn saith He was in the spirit vpon the Lords day Afore it was called the day of rest because God rested on it from the work of creation but now it is called the Lords day because Christ Jesus instituted it as a speciall memoriall of his resurrection perfecting of the work of our redemption For the Apostles by the authoritie of that spirit which alwaies assisted them in their ministeriall office did alter the day themselues kept ordained it to be kept in all the churches As may appeare 1. Cor. 16. 1. Where he saith The first day of the weeke when yee meet together c. Where the Apostle shewes that the congregations of Christ were wont on the first day of the weeke to meet together for the performance of all holy duties of the number whereof collection for the poore was one because of the manifold persecutions wherwith in the primatiue church they were more afflicted and had neede of continuall reliefe This was the first day of the Iewish weeke our Lords day So also in the Acts. Paul himself kept this day which he spent in preaching till midnight and after administred the sacramēt in which two exercises he cōtinued till the dawning of the day So that the keeping of this day was instituted by God in the ministrie of the Apostles and kept by them and the churches in their time therfore as strongly commands vs as the Iewes and is of no lesse force now then before Then secondly the reason of the chaunge and of our keeping this day is no lesse then of their keeping that day For when the creation of the world was the greatest work that euer was done then the memoriall of that was chiefely to be regarded But now that a greater more excellent work was done namely the redemption of the world it was reason that the greatest work should carry the credit of the day They rested the seauenth day because on that God rested from the work of creation wee this eight day because in it Christ rise againe from the work of our redemption which being a greater work caused a chaunge of the day Sith then the day was not chaūged without good warrant and strong reason that alteration and varying of the day detracts nothing from the truth and force of the commandement And wheras they say that the church may at their pleasure alter it that is not so for ther can neuer be an authority greter then the authority of the Apostles nor a cause greater then the resurrection of Christ and the redemption of the church and therefore neither can the day be chaunged for to make a new day where no such warrant did allow nor no cause occasion it were to take more vpon them then is fit For if the Iewes in former times were bound to keepe it holy hauing onely the creation of the world to think vpon and to remēber by the celebrating of their seauenth day then how much more are we bound to this reuerence and a greater sith besids this benefit of our making we haue a greater of our redeeming by the bloud and death of Christ added vnto it so that any one of the two ought to sanctifie it more rather then to cast it of all together and to be so much the more carefull to giue this day wholy to God by how much he hath shewed a greate mercie to vs so that we should neuer speake or think of this chaunge but we should also call to minde this great benefit which was the cause of it If Adam had cause to spend a day in praysing God for his creation then wee haue greater cause seeth besides that we haue also the redemption to bee thankefull for And if this bee a good argument wee keepe not the selfe same day that the Iewes did therefore the dutie is abollished and wee are bound to keepe none then by the same reason one might conclude thus you see wee haue not the same sacraments for the outward seales that the Iewes had for they had circumcision and they had the pascall Lambe what tell you mee of the consecrate water and of the bread and wine hallowed the Iewes had no such matter sith these signes be altered I think it was but a ceremonie and wee neede not regard baptisme the supper this were no good argument in this case for though the shadowes bee other yet the substance bee the same Christ Iesus is signified by our bread and wine as well as by their Lambe and our baptisme is the sacrament of regeneration as well as their circumcision Therefore wee should not despise them but so much the more bee carefull to prepare our selues for them because the seruice is more easie the promises more lightsome If then it will not hold that we haue no sacraments because the outward seales bee altered then it is as weake a consequence that wee haue no seauenth day to bee sanctified because the day is altered and wee keepe not the same that they did So that no proofe can be gathered from the varying of the daie that the dutie is abolished because the authoritie is as strong the reason as good and the same reason doth not hold in other things Againe they object that to a christian euery day is a sabboth day and therefore wee should not restraine it to one day more then another but the answere to this is that it is most false for God doth not require neither is a christian able to keep euery day a sabboth day so long as they remain on earth indeede in heauen hee shall keepe a continuall sabboth vnto the Lord but now so long as wee liue there is as much difference betwixt the sabboth day and otheir daies as betwixt the consecrate bread wee receiue at the Lords table and the common bread wee receiue at our owne table This is true that euery one must serue God on the sixe daies and all his life long but on the seauenth day wee must not onely serue God
drawne as a beare to the stake let him make account that the preacher will bait him trouble his conscience for comfort hee can looke for none Therfore if we would haue a blessing by the sabboth let vs keepe it cherfullie knowing that God loues a cherfull giuer Secondlie one must labour to doe all the duties of the sabboth those that must bee done before the sermon and those that must be done after let no ordinance scape vndone vse meditation on Gods word and works heareing reading praying singing psalmes conference workes of mercie of euerie thing something so farre as we haue abilitie and opportunitie But if we will performe them scambling lie doe this and leaue that vndone either make no preparation before or no application after either no publique or no priuate then it may bee he shall finde some blessings but the fewer of these hee performeth the fewer blessings he shall haue he that doth the work of God by halfes shall and it is just he should find the comfort and benefit of them by halfes Thirdlie as one must doe all the duties and that with delight cherfullie so he must keepe the whole day he must doe all the duties and also spend all the time in these duties hee must continue from the beginning to the ending As in Psal 92. 2. To declare Gods louing kindnesse in the morning and his truth at night So that the sabboth must bee spent both morning night and all the daie in holie duties One must forbeare worldlie businesse yea worldlie thoughts the whole foure and twentie houres for if one giue his thoughts libertie to run after matters of the world in the night he breakes the sabboth in one part sleepe one may lawfullie but his sleepe must bee sweetned with holie exercises and so sanctified vnto him as in it hee must also keepe an holie rest And heere manie faile that out of the Church wil be talking with their neighbours musing with themselues about earthlie businesses affaires thinke they haue made a good hand if they spend the most part of the daie till after the euening exercises in workes of religion and then they make no question to take their recreation or to goe about their businesses if occation bee But hee that commands to keepe it in the church bids vs keepe it in the house as to heare him and speake to him in publique so to speake to him out of our harts in priuate not to giue our selues leaue to thinke the least thought of any worldlie businesse Now then wee if seeme to make conscience of the sabboth and yet doe want that blessing which we doe looke for let vs looke to our selues we shall see that wee are halting in some one of these either wee keepe the sabboth lumpishlie and heauilie that it seemes as a tedious burden vnto vs or else wee doe some one or two duties leaue the rest vndone or else if we doe all the duties to be done we want heere that we obserue not the whole day but keep some part of it from god to our selues accordinglie as any man comes short in any of these duties so hee commeth short of the fruit of the sabboth But if one labour with joy to doe all the duties of the sabboth the whole day hee shall finde in his owne soule that it is in truth a day of blessing and brings more joy and comfort yea and a greater blessing with it then all the weeke besides And so much for this fourth commandement of the sabboth and the reasons of it The summe of the fifth Commaundement is to shew what duties we owe one to another in respect of their and our place The persons in this commandement are eyther with authoritie eyther priuate eyther further from equalitie as parents and children masters and seruants nearer equalitie as husband and wife publike in Church Commonwealth without authoritie in age gifts Exod. 20. 12. Honour thy father and thy mother c. HEtherto the duties of pietie to God out of the first Table haue bin handled Now follow the commandements of the second table concerning the duties of righteousnes to our neighbours This is the first commandement of the second table vpō which al the rest do depend as in the first table the keeping of all the commaundements following did depend on the keeping of the first commandement of the table so heere if this first commandement be well obserued both of gouernours and inferiours there could be no disorder against any other of the commandements following For all disorders in the other commandements of the second Table doe flow from hence that eyther superiours are negligent in performing their dutie of gouerning or else inferiours are proud and stubborne and refuse to obey their superiours The words contayne a commaundement and the reason of it The commaundement in those words Honour thy father and mother The reason in the words following That thy daies may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee Because the benefit of obedience is not so great to the superiours which are obeyed as to him that doth for conscience sake obey them they shall not be gainers so much as himselfe for he shall gaine to himselfe a long and happie life Honour To honour is to reuerence in heart and performe all outward duties Father That is all superiours in what place soeuer set aboue thee Thy father This is the first reason whereby God would moue inferiours to obey because he is thy father In that God makes this his reason why the childe should obey his father because he is his father We gather this doctrine That the chiefe motiue to obedience must be Gods ordinance If God haue made him the instrument of thy life and maintenance and haue set him ouer thee thou must for this cause performe all dutie of honour vnto him So in the Prouerbs Honour thy father that begat thee and thy mother that bare thee as if he had said honour thy parents and bee duetifull vnto them not because they be rich or in great place or for any other respect but this because they bee thy parents bee they father and mother how euer rich or poore thou must be duetifull vnto them So the Apostle speaketh to wiues Wiues obey your owne husbands Vsing this as a reason if they be your husbands If God hath set them ouer you as your head and gouernour you must submitte your selues to them for this cause and in obedience to Gods commaundement howsoeuer they be otherwise froward and foolish if they be yours then you must performe your duetie vnto them So for seruants the poynt is not whether hee bee a poore man or rich a simple man and ignorant or wise and discreete but is he a master hath God made him a gouernour then for the time that one is a seruant he stands in the place of Christ in his family and is to be obeyed as if hee
before their children shall make euen with them and reuenge and quitte there parents wronges to the full by the like fauage dealing with them A second dutie of thankefulnesse is to pray for their parents As in Tim. 2. He commands that prayers be made for all in authoritie And if any must praye for those that be further of in common weale much more for those that are nearer in the familie Therefore this is a fault to bee greatly condemned in many that can see their parents faults and speake of them too much but cannot finde time to fall downe before God and beseech him to heale their nature and helpe them out of their sinnes Many haue liued a longe time with their parents yet cannot say that they sent vp an heartie prayer to heauen for their parents so vnnaturall and vnthankefull be they The vse of all these duties to those whose parents are not aliue is to looke that their sinnes be not aliue after their parents death And therefore to examine themselues whether they haue beene faultie in any of these things and if they do repent for it and desire pardon else they be lyable to two plagues First that their children should take their parents quarrell in hand and requite their wicked dealing in what euer dutie they haue fayled and haue not repented of it And secondly that as honouring parents brings a long and happie life so their dishonouring their parents should make them haue a short life and miserable or if a long life yet full of Gods curses for their vnrepented sonne Therfore let such as be now fatherlesse marke themselues and finding that their children are stubborne against them and vnthankfull and rebellions euerie way as many may see it openly and wofully let call themselues backe and see what kinde of children they were before how they behaued themselues to their parents whether they were not all together faultie in this point If it be so let them confesle that their owne sinnes haue found them out and are turned open let them acknowledge that God is iust and hath giuen the same measure into their bosomes their own euill is fallen vpon their owne heads they digged a pit in their youth and now in their age are fallen into it And thus much of the duties of children Now follow the duties of parents to their children For vnder the dutie of inferiour is comprehended also the dutie of the superiour And as God would haue inferiours to giue honour so he commaunds superiours to carrie themselues in that manner that they may deserue honour And doth bind them as straightly as the inferiours Now the duties of parents to their children are eyther in their tender yeares riper age The parents dutie to the children in their tender yeares and childhood is first to instruct them in religion to season them with the words of pietie or by little and little to drop in the grounds of holinesse into them euen so soone as they are able to speake and beginne to haue the least vse of vnderstanding So Prouerb Teach a childe in the trade of his youth and he will remember it afterwards Where the holy ghost exhorting men to teach their young children meetes with an obiection Alasse might one say teach such little ones what good will that doe we shall but loose our labour for they cannot vnderstand it nor conceiue the meaning of these things The holy ghost answeres Be it that for the time he cannot vnderstand the sense yet teach him the words and tearmes of goodnesse and though while he continues a child perhaps it seeme a fruitlesse thing yet you shall see afterwards it will not be in vaine for the crop of this seede that was soone in the childhood will appeare when he comes to age though for a time it lay hidden then he wil remember these things that to good vse which it seemed he got no good by when he was so young wanting vnderstanding Therefore let him haue the words taught him when he is able to heare and speake words and after when he is of more discretion he will conceiue remember the sense too And this dutie the holy ghost commaunds Ephes 6. 4. Bring them up in instruction and feare of the Lord. And this Timothies mother did put in practise For it is noted of her that she instructed Timothie in the scriptures from a child and that was the cause he was so holy a man she was a nurse to his soule as wel as to his bodie and gaue him milke out of the breasts of the scripture so soone as he had done sucking her owne breasts so that as he waxed strong in naturall strength of naturall life so he waxed strong in the knowledge of the life to come and therefore he grew so excellent a man and so worthy a preacher and member of the Church because his mother fedde his soule as well as his bodie The second dutie of parents to their children in their yonger yeares is to correct them to giue them correction which the holy ghost in the Prouerbs commaunds often and shews the fruit of it Correct him and thou shalt saue his soule chasten him and he will giue thee pleasure In the latter the rod of correction driues away folly this is the onely meanes to make a diuorse betwixt folishnesse and his heart which are so neerely wedded together But in correction these rules must be obserued First let it be seasonable and done in time passe it not ouer to long but begin early enough So Salomon saith Hee that loues him corrects him be time and doth not omit it till it be to late but takes the fittest opportunitie when he may with most ease and fewest stripes doe most good For indeed a small twig and a fewe blowes in time when he is yet a child not hardened in sinne will doe more good then many tods and abundance of stripes afterwards if this seaso be let slip for if the child be not mastred when he is young he will maister his parents when he growes elder Therefore let them not get an head for if they doe they will prooue like an young colt that hath gotten an ill tricke at the first he hath once cast his rider he was marred in the beginning and now you may sooner almost kill him then breake him and bring him in any good order againe Secondly it must be done with great compassion and mercie not in bitternesse to ease ones selfe with the paine of the child which is too barbarous crueltie For in truth commonly there is good cause why the father should be as much grieued or rather more then the child because for the most part he doth but correct his owne sinnes in his sonne for if the childe be curst and froward is it not because he hath seene the parents brawling and contentious if he lye hath not his father giuen him a patterne of dissembling and if he sweare being
doe it not principally because his master commands but because God commands not because his Maisters eye is vpon him but because Gods pure eyes behold him either to punish him if he doe not his dutie or to reward him if he doe it faithfully This is the cheese point at which seruants must ayme Commandement Ephes 6. 5. In singlenesse of your heart as vnto Christ And there is a reason why one must cheefly seeke to please God and not man for if one doe so this will follow that one shall not doe it in eye seruice that is this when the Maister lookes on to be so nimble and readie to doe as much as two or three but no sooner the Maisters eye is turnd away but all is giuen ouer and the time spent idle and nothing is done or if it be t is naughtily and negligently But where this is not that one chiefly respects God his obedience can neuer be constant it is but by sits and starts and hangs vpon the masters eye take away that and all is done Secondly if one serue not God then he is streight discouraged at vnkindnesse here 's no rewarde for ones paines no respect had of ones labour indeede if oneserue his master only he may truely say so of times but if one serue God and do it in obedience to God he cannot at anie time say here is no consideration had of ones diligence t were impious to say so to make God a lyar vnfaithfull but there is sufficient consideration and reward if one serue God for then if his master doe not recompence him he whome he serueth will As the example of Iacob shewes He serue a coueteous maister one that made no conscience of his promise to a poore man as this is alwaies the tricke of a couetous man he cares not what promise he breake to a poore man Yet Iacob made conscience of his dutie and endured his couetousnesse for twentie yeares space and serued him to with all his might so that hee was pnicht by heat in the day by cold in the night and if sleepe departed from his eyes and if euer any thing were spoild by wilde beasts he made it good yet Laban all this while did nothing but seeke to eate him vp and to rauen all frō him that he could Then God comes and tels him that though Laban was thus churlish yet he could haue wages enough and because he serued God God will pay him though man doe not and so hee did and that throughly and fully for by Gods owne hand and prouidence most of Labans best cattle were turned to Iacob and so he grew far more welthy had a larger recōpence then euer he looked for So that if on serue two maisters he shall commonly haue double wages For God will incline the heart of his maisters to fauour him when he is faithfull and himselfe also will fully reward him with abundant blessing in his soule and bodie and conscience and name and posteritie after him For no man euer serued God in a calling but hee may as well pray for Gods blessing and as surely looke for it be the worke neuer so meane and base that he goes about as the minister when he preacheth or prayeth or administreth the sacrament or doth any worke of his calling The last dutie of seruants is to pray for their gouernours and for good successe vpon their labours in their gouernours businesse This is commanded 1. Tim. 2. Where it is commanded that not euery place of authoritie one is in the inferiour should pray to God for him if he be bad to conuert him be mercifull to him if good to strengthen him and giue him continuance and increase of these graces Likewise when seruants goe about matters of weight concerning their maister they must pray to God for direction and successe as when Abraham trusted his seruant with a great matter namely to fetch a wife for his sonne he goes about with prayer to God to direct him and giue him a good proceeding and euent and where God had blessed him he giues thankes to God and prayseth him as hee would not trust his own strength but cals to God for assistance so hauing obtained assistance he lets God haue the praise and then when he was intreated to stay ten daies and might haue had all courteous and liberall intertainment yet he would not but tels them that seeth God had blessed him and his maister expected his comming they should not nowe hinder him and nothing could containe him from his Maister that looked for him This confutes those that neuer pray God to giue a blessing to their gouernours and to bestow grace vpon their masters and hence it iustly comes to passe that they want many good things from their masters which they shoud haue because they performe not all the duties of a good seruant in that they call not vpon God for their master And those are also reproued that will be desirous to be employed in their masters affaires and to haue dealing in businesses committed to them but they are so presumptuous in a carnall confidence of their owne abilitie that they runne boy strously and rudely vpon matters not entreating the helpe of the great God in things of great moment and then it is iust that God should crosse them because they take away that he neuer sanctified and if they will not aske a blessing is not it righteous that he should turne their wit into folly and though they goe about it prudently crosse and ouerturne all their policy because they trust more in policie then in his blessing The seruant therfore must craue Gods assistance that he may vse good meanes after a good manner and with good successe And an other vse heere is to be made of those which haue beene seruants but now are not this is their dutie euen to goe backe and see wherein they haue fayled in any of these things and for that aske mercie at Gods hand and craue pardon else they shall be lyable to these two euils First that God may iustly plague them now for their former sinnes and secondly that as they failed in their dutie to their masters so their seruants shall faile in dutie to them whereas if one haue repented he may looke and haue some hope that God in mercy will so order his seruants hearts as that they shal not recompence his owne euill vnto him because the blood of Christ hath washed it away But such as will pilfer deale wickedly with their masters not repent for it and make some repentance it is most iust from God that they themselues should be spoyld and robd without any amends Thus much concerning the duties of seruants the duties of the master follow For as God binds the inferiour to his duty so he requires that the superiour be carefull in his place and calling too Now the masters duties consist in two maine points Namely in chosing them with wisedome and