ungodly wicked and to give them bad example and be patterns of impiety and iniquity unto them 6. To be found indulgent remisse in Discipline and correction and to bring them up idlely or delicately 7. To neglect their education in Religion and take no care of their poor Souls The sins of Tutours Guardians and such as are trusted with Orphans are carelessenesse or unfaithfulnesse And these must know that though these desolate and poor Creatures cannot or may not question them yet God will right them and will certainly call these unjust Stewards to account and severely punish them for their negligence and injustice And as he will blesse godly faithfull carefull parents and such as supply their place and comfort them in their Children or some other way So he will punish the negligent ungodly unfaithfull in their own Children and many other wayes and will require the blood of their Souls at their hands and their last reckoning will be sad and heavy Few Fathers endeavour the Regeneration of their Children Few Mothers travayl again of them that Christ may be formed and born in their hearts And one great cause of the corruption not onely of familyes but Church and state is the neglect of education When Parents do not use the power God hath put into their hands nor take the opportunity he hath given them to instil the principles of religion and piety into them in their tender yeares when they are so ready to receive the first impressions It 's a matter of sorrow and lamentation to consider how much Parents do neglect their duty and to see the sad events thereof For many of them transmit their sin and guilt and derive it to posterity who inherit their iniquity and misery Hitherto of this Commandement § X taken in the plain immediate sense Let 's proceed to those things which are reducible unto it by Analogie or deduction from it by more remote consequence Father and Mother are tearms of relation expresly named in the Text and these imply another Relation Husband and Wife who are the Foundation of a Family and were the beginning and first root of Mankind And after that Woman was once created and man had a fellow the relation of Husband and Wife followed and was the first relation according to God's Institution which requires that man and woman should be Husband and Wife before there be Father and Mother They are 1. Man and Woman of different Sex by Creation 2. Husband and Wife by God's Institution 3. Father and Mother by God's Blessing Yet there be many who violate this Institution and propagate the World with an illegitimate and spurious or incestuous Brood though by Repentance and Faith in Christ this sin may be pardoned and God's Judgment averted both from Parents and Children In this first Society there is an imparity though not so great as that of Parents and Children and the Duties thereof are two Subjection and Love For the Wife must be subject to her Husband and the Husband must love his Wife This is the Command of God by the Apostle Wives submit your selves unto your Husbands as unto the Lord For the Husband is the Head of the Wife c. This is the imparity of Superiour and Inferiour And Husbands love your Wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it Ephes. 5. 22 25. This subjection was due from the first Wife to the first Husband even in the estate of Innocency For even then Marriage was instituted and by it was constituted one of the nearest Societies in the World and the same indissoluble except by Death or Adultery and that not onely by Covenant but especially by God's Institution whose Will it was that they should be one flesh and that man should forsake Father and Mother that dear relation and cleave to his Wife This Subjection before the Fall was so a Duty as that it was not a punishment For then Man was the Head a Superiour because made first and Woman was made after Man of Man for Man and man was of the more noble Sex and it was God's Will he should be Superiour in the first Contract according to his Institution But after the Fall it was not onely a Duty to be performed willingly but a Penalty to be suffered patiently And a grievous Penalty it is when a Woman is married to a proud insolent imperious Fool and to such Women who are of the like temper and violently bent to have their own Will though never so unreasonable As the imparity between Man and Wife is less then that between Parents and Children so the subjection of the Wife to the husband is not so great as that which is due from Children to Parents much less then of Servants to their Masters The place of the Wife though inferiour to the Husband is honourable She is Partner with him and shares in the government of the Family and may command both Children and Servants He is the Master she is the Mistress though subordinate to him as her Head as the Body is to the Head The duty of the Husband is to love his Wife and that not with any kind or degree of love but with a dear tender special love He must love her as his Wife as one flesh with him his own body part of himself nearer to him then Father or Mother Yet as obedience of Children so both love of Husband and subjection of Wife is limited and must be in the Lord that is subordinate unto that love and subjection which is due to Christ and agreeable to the Will of His Command and not contrary unto it And both the Duties presuppose other Vertâ—es in both Parties or else they will be not onely imperfect and deficient but unlawful and not in the Lord but against the Will of the Lord. And this subjection of the one and love of the other Evangelically understood are more perfect and noble Vertues in true Christians then in others as the Bond of Marriage doth represent the Union of Christ and His Church who are contracted on Earth and the Marriage it self shall be solemnized in Heaven with great glory and full joy that shall never end The want of this subjection in the one and love in the other much more the contrary sins are forbidden in this Commandement and are the causes of many other sins confusions discomforts miseries ruines of Families And by these two and the contrary may be understood all other Duties here commanded and sins forbidden and all such as depend upon them or are necessarily joyned with them After the Relations and Societies of Husband and Wife § XI Parents and Children follows that of Masters and Servants For after that Mankind was multiplyed in a Family and their Estates and Goods increased their work was the greater and required more hands and the first that did the Work of Servants though they were not Servants were Children and after that besides irrational Servants as the Ox and the Ass there were
of this subjection especially after Christ's Exaltation Men are reduced by Calling Of the nature of Calling whereby Predestination begins to be put in execution What Predestination is considered as a Model or Idea in God Of this special Government and Ordination of Man to His Eternal Estate CHAP. V. The Exercise of this New Power acquired in the Administration considered first in general How this Kingdom was administred from the times of Adam till the Call of Abraham and God's Covenant with him How from his time till Moses How from Moses till John the Baptist. The Covenant made at Mount Sinai The Bondage of the Church under that Covenant according to the Promise in her minority Some alteration begun by John the Baptist. The exaltation of Christ to be Administrator-General The great alteration that followed thereupon in Administration both in Heaven and Earth CHAP. VI. The Administration of the Kingdom of God-Redeemer in particular by Laws Moral Positive as a Rule of Obedience in Precepts and Prohibitions Conscience what it is The Moral Laws of perpetual Obligation The different manner of Obligation to Adam Innocent from that which followed after the first Promise of Christ. The more perfect knowledge of it always continued in the Church which hath its use to the Gentile to the Jew to the Church-Christian How to be understood Evangelically The inequality of the Morality of several Commandments CHAP. VII The First Commandment The Preface of Moses and the Preface of God The meaning of the words How to be understood and how observed Evangelically The sins forbidden reduced to Atheism and Idolatry The Duties commanded and how to be performed to God-Redeemer alone as Supream and that in the highest degree CHAP. VIII The Second Commandment The Analysis of the whole shewing the sinne prohibited the Reasons why it must be avoided the particular and distinct Explication of the whole Commandement and every part what is expresly and in proper sense forbidden what by consequence and analogy The Duties commanded both under the Law and the Gospel both by consequence and analogy CHAP. IX The third Commandement The Order and Connexion of this with the former as of the former with the first The Analysis the proper and immediate sense the sins forbidden and the Duties commanded by consequence and analogy CHAP. X. The Fourth Commandement The order and relation of this Commandement to the former The reason why God instituted a Sabbath and the end of it the Analysis of the words the Explication of every part the Duties commanded the sins forbidden the Reasons to perswade to Sanctification the Jewish Sabbath ceased the Lord Day substituted and both upon sufficient grounds plain in Scripture CHAP. XI The Fifth Commandement The order the difference the inequality of the former and this latter part of the Law This with the four following derive their Morality from the last as that receives Morality from the first of the first Table the Analysis the Explication the Duties commanded the sins forbidden expresly by consequence and analogy as they concern persons in Families States Churches according to their several Relations CHAP. XII The Sixth Commandement The Subject man's life the absolute propriety whereof is in God the use onely in Man and it cannot be taken away without Warrant and Commission from God What Murther is what the degrees thereof what sins are here forbidden what Duties commanded Reasons against Murther CHAP. XIII The Seventh Commandement Adultery presupposeth Marriage what Adultery it is how many ways committed the heynousness of the sin and the Reasons against it what sins here implicitly according to certain Rules are reducible to this Commandement and forbidden The degrees of uncleanness the Causes the Duty in general commanded Chastity inward outward in Marrriage Single life the disswasives from Uncleanness the swasives to Chastity with the means to preserve it CHAP. XIV The Eighth Commandment Which presupposeth Propriety absolute in God derivative and limited in Man The several ways of acquiring it the degrees of it What Theft is The distinction of Thieves and Theft according as it is more or less palpable and as goods are publike or private or sacred committed by such as are trusted by others or have contracted with others The several kinds of Thefts in respect of Contracts The degrees of Theft The Causes What is commanded The meanes whereby Justice in this kind is preserved The reasons perswading to the observation of it CHAP. XV. The Ninth Commandement This Commandement presupposing Laws and the power of Jurisdiction aymes at just Judgment The former determines the right of Persons in the fifth of things as Wife-life Goods in the sixth seventh eighth and this to be observed before Judgment This prescribes our Neighbours right in Judgment The words explained The end why Witnesses are onely mentioned The Duties and Offences judicial of Jnformers Plaintiffs Defendants Sollicitors Atturneys Witnesses Notaries Counsellours Iurors delatory and judicial Judges Executioners The Disswasives from Disobedience Swasives to Obedience of this Commandement CHAP. XVI The Tenth Commandement This Commandement derives morality unto and is the rule root and measure of the five former Commandements and is explained Certain Rules and Observations upon the words explained The sins forbidden the Duties commanded the principal and intended duty which is To love our Neighbour as our selves What love in general is What the love of our Neighbour What the measure and what the end of it is Certain Rules added to give light to understand and use the Moral Law of Moses's Ten Commandements CHAP. XVII Of Positive and Ceremonial Laws of God-Redeemer as a Rule of Obedience The Name and Nature of Ceremonial and Positive Laws The Ceremonials and Positives especially Sacrifices and Sacraments instituted before the Exhibition of Christ and the Revelation of the Gospel The nature of Sacraments in general and their Accidents The Sacraments of the New Testament The Institution of Baptism by Christ in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost The definition of it the Institution of the Eucharist with the definition of it the Explication of the Elements Actions Words mentioned in the Institution who may administer these Sacraments To whom this may be administred Whether Christian Infants as one person with their Parents who are members of the Church and joyned with them in obligations and priviledges may not be baptized Whether the Faith as well as Prayers of one may not profit another Whether these Sacraments ought to be administred upon a divine infallible or humane fallible Judgment CHAP. XVIII Of Prayer Of the nature of Prayer The Lord's Prayer The Preface directing 1 Who must pray 2 For whom 3 To whom 4 In what manner And that since Christ's Glorification all Prayers even the Lord's Prayer is to be offered in the name of Christ and so to God-Redeemer The body of the Prayer contracting the matter of all Prayer to a few Petitions disposed in a most excellent order That which is first matter of
alone so the worshipping of one God in purity according to our duty and His Institution is called Chastity And such as did not pollute themselves with the Worship of Idols are called Virgins Rev. 14. 4. 2. Where there is this pure Virgin-love free from all Idolatry there will be an universal obedience and keeping of God's Commandements especially of the two first which virtually include the rest By Commandements therefore in this place are strictly understood the first and this second with all the Branches thereof Yet because these especially the first are the Root of all the rest therefore the rest may by consequence be understood The extent of this Mercy is to a Thousand Generations that is for ever For if Israel had been faithful to their God they might have continued an happy People unto this day and so God's Promise was God never with-drew His mercy from them nor executed His Judgments upon them but when they forsook him and violated these Commandements It 's true that the last Judgment which lyes upon them at this day had another cause than Image-Worship and it was the rejection of their Saviour and Messias when God had sent Him to save them according to the Promise made unto their Fathers For the more full understanding of this last part of the Commandement § IX in the Commination and Promise we must consider this with the former Commandement 1. As given to the Jews 2. As by the Light of Nature continued to the Gentiles 3. As most clearly manifested to Christians by the Gospel These Promises and Threats are called by some the Sanction that is the confirmation ratification and establishment of a Law Yet they add no binding force unto it for that is wholly from the Will of the Law-giver once expressed Onely this they may do make the Law the more effectual The Threatning is a great restraint from Violation and the Promise of Reward a strong Motive to Obedience These Threatnings and Promises in this place had special reference to Israel in the Land of Canaan and both the Punishments threatned and Mercies promised were Temporal for since the Fall of Adam there is no Promise of Spiritual and Eternal Mercy but in Jesus Christ promised or exhibited And it 's observable 1. That Israâ—ls sin usually if not always began in the Violation of this Commandement 2. That in the publique Judgments executed upon them this is expressed sometimes as the onely sin sometimes the first sin sometimes the chiefest and always implyed as one cause thereof 3. That when they observed this Commandement they enjoyed always this mercy here promised in their Successive Generations 4. The publick judgemâ—nts executed upon them for this sin did seldome at any time lye upon them further then the fourth generation as in the Captivity of Babylon which was the longest continuance of any other which that people suffered so farr as they continued a people Israels Captivity and the penalty of the ten Tribes as a distinct polity lyes upon them to this day For the generality of them were and do continue banished but where we certainly know noâ— A part of them adhered to the Tribe of Judah and Benjamin As for the Gentiles their Apostacy began in the Violation of this and the â—ormer Commandement and theiâ— punishment was not so much temporal as Spiritual For this sin of Idolatry and Image-Worship they were delivered up to vile affections and a reprobate mind and continued excommunicate and accurâ—ed for many yeares This their sin and punishment we may read Rom. 1. from verse 18. to the end And they were never admitted into the Church as Proselytes or Christians but upon renouncing of the Devil and his Pompatical and Idolatrous Worship and their turning from Idols to the living God As for Câ—ristians who turn from the living God and Chriâ—â— their Saviour to Idols and the Worship of the work of mens hands and to receive the cup of Fornication from the hand of the great whore their penaltyes shall be grievous and not onely temporall but spiritual and eternal if they come not out of Babylon and repent betimes as we may read in the book of the Revelation especially Chapters 14 15. 16 17 18. Whether any sin but final unbelief be threatned in the Gospel with death shall be examined God willing when I come to consider the Laws of Goâ— Redeemer as they are a rule of judgement It 's true that the Lawes of God Redeemer pâ—esupposing man as sinfull require a present return by repentance and faith and the continuance in any one sin against the morall Law or any other positive in force is formally a transgression as it is a continuance without repentance and faith There was a special reason why these reasons were given in this Commandement and it was because they were so prone unto this sin and he knew that in time to come this would be the great transgression Thus far the explication of the words of this Commandement § X it followes that we examin What the sins here forbidden and the dutyes here commanded be It 's expresseâ—y negatiâ—e and implicitly and by consequence affirmative The thing forbidden expresly is the making of Images for religious uses and the bowing down to them and worshipping of them The Commandement doth not take any notice whether in this Bowing and Worshipping they terminate their Worship either upon the Image or the thing repreâ—eâ—ted by the Image for both are sins And the distinctions devised by Iconolatrists will not excuse them before God This Image Worship is here represented as not instituted but forbidden by God devised by Men or Devils as corrupting and polluting the Pure Worship of God From hence it followes That 1. All kind of Religious Worship not instituted by God and warranted either by some particular expresse â—uâ—e of Scripture or grounded upon some generall precept is here forbidden 2. So is also all such manner of Worship as is devised and invented by Man or Devil 3. Whatsoever tends to the Corruption of the Pure instituted Worship of God cannot be lawfull 4. To conceive that there is any holinesse or sanctifying power in any such worship or manner of Worship or to think that the observation thereof is acceptabâ—e to God in it self or renders the party performing acceptable to him is a sin here prohibited This sin here forbidden may be called superstition in a large sense For to account that holy and divine as an object of Worship which is not such nor can be proved such by reason or divine revelation and also to invent religious rites and ceremonyes or to use them and this without any warrant from God is superstition It seemes to be an Extream opposed to prophaness For nothing can be holy or unholy but that which God hath made such For man to determin the object the kind the manner of worship and institute rites upon his own head or upon the suggestion of Sathan or any other must needs be an
And whilest they are in force they bind us to observance because instituted and commanded by God with a Promise of acceptance and a Blessing iâ— performed aright To these must be added the Offerings of Cain and Abel and all the Patriarchs As also the Jewish Tabernacle and Temple Alâ—ars Levitical Priesthood Vestments Sacrifices Oblations Purifications and Religions Ceremonies and Services instituted by God are reducible to this Head And Word and Prayer were of perpetual continuance in all times and places Yet many of those Ceremonious Institutions were not for many of them did bind so as they were limited to certain times and places and upon the coming of Christ did either expire or were abrogated Such as did typifie Christ His Office His Sacrifice His Service and such things as were fulfilled upon His Exhibition and 〈…〉 did expire The Reasons why God did institute these outward â—â—â—rnal Ceremonies and such a multitude of them and annexed them to the Promise you have formerly heard And all these in their time were of Divine â—uthority and Obligation and could not be neglected and contemned except upon Divine Dispensation and in the case of Necessity without great offence Neither did God ever by the Prophets reprove the Jews for the observation of theâ—e Ceremonies He commanded For that could be no disobedience but obedience But when they either neglected these or added something of their own heads or the Ceremonies of the Heathens and were careless of the performance of the Moral and more weighty Duties then he was offended And he signified plainly that He would have mercy and not Sacrifice the Knowledge of God and not whole Burnt-offerings Hos. 6. 6. And as our Saviour said to the Pharisees Scribes and Jews of His time who were zealous and strict in paying of Tith of Mint Cummin and Annyseed and neglected the principal and weighty Duties of the Law as Judgment Mercy and Faithfulness These that is the greater they ought to have done and not have left the less and petty duties undone Math. 23. 23. As § XVI to that Institution of Prayer may be referred Doxologies and Benedictions So to that of the Word and Sacraments that of Church Discipline especially in the Acts of solemn Admonition Suspension Excommunication Absolution Penance and the Execution of botâ— And here it is observable that the Christian-Worship under the Gospel instituted by Christ and His Apostles is more Spiritual plain easie and more immediately conducing to Piety and performance of pure Moral-Duties than the Worship of former times was And though the Temple-Service and Worship was abolished yet the Synagogue-Service for the greatest part was retained and by Divine Institution continued in the Christian Church Such were reading of the Scriptures Expositions Exhortations which were Sermons Prayer Discipline Yet this is not so to be understood as though all these might not be used in the Temple which was called An House of Prayer for they might But they were not proper to the Temple and onely to be performed there as Sacrifices and other Services of the Priests were Though Christ and His Apostles § XVII by Warrant and Commission gave the Church liberty and freed it from the old Beggarly Rudiments and Ceremonies of the Law abolished the Temple-Service took away the Partition-Wall and thought it not fit to charge the Gentiles turned Christians with that Burden which their Fathers could not bear and God hath destroyeâ— that City and Temple where once he put his name and commanded these Ceremonies to be used yet we find Christian Churches turned into Temples their Tables into Altars and not onely many of the Levitical but the Heathenish Rites observed in them to the great offence of Jews and Pagans and also a Sanctifying Power and Holiness ascribed unto them with a Belief of their excellency and a confidence in their Divine Vertue And the Reformed Christians which have laid these aside and reduced their Worship to the Primitive Simplicity and conformed it to the Rule of the Gospel are accounted Schismaticks and Hereticks Yet we know for certain that many of the Ceremonies and Rites of Rome were never instituted by Christ and the Apostles are needless unprofitable and at least an occasion of Idolatry and certainly Superstitious And there can be no doubt that Prayer directed to God alone by the mediation of Jesus Christ without the Worship or Invocation of Saints and Angels are effectual and commanded by God and Worship without any Images is safe and acceptable to our God For that Worship onely is agreeable to this Commandement which is 1. Instituted of God 2. In force under the Gospel 3. Hath a Promise of a Blessing upon the right performance of it And that which is not instituted by God nor in force under the Gospel and hath not a Promise of a Blessing is needless unprofitable superstitious dangerous unlawful and contrary unto this Commandement CHAP. IX The Third Commandement THis Commandement is Negative § I and prohibits a grievous sin and by conseqâ—ence includes a Duty tending to the honour of this great King who ougâ—â— to be worshipped in such a manner as shall be suitable to his Excellent Majesty The first Commandementâ—orbids â—orbids the Worship of strange Gods who are no Gods The second the Worship of Images or by Images The third the taking of His Name in vain or false-swearing For 1. He is to be acknowledged as God 2. Worshipped according to His own Institution 3. This Worship is to be performed in a due manner In the words themselves we have 1. A Sin forbidden 2. A Penalty threatned and to be suffered by him that shall be guilty of that Sin The Sin is to take God's Name in vain And least any one should presume Every one must know That the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vain This is the substance of this Law To take God's Name in vain § II if we consult with the Original is to swear falsly and to use God's Name to perswade men to believe that which is false Thus it is expounded Thou shalt not swear by my Name falsly neither shalt thou prophane the Name of thy God Lev. 19. 12. And thus the Chaldee Paraphrast understands and 〈◊〉 the words in this place Exod. 20. 7. and also Deut. 5. 11. And though the word Magan signifies vain yet the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shekar used by him in the latter part of the Commandement signifies Falshood or a Lye and Ed shekar is a false Witness Deut. 19. 18. By which we may easily understand that the Lord in theâ—e words forbids false swearing and because in swearing we use God's Name and a false Oath is unjust and in respect of the end to which it was ordained is vain Therefore to swear falsly is to take up or use God's Name prophanely or in vain An Oath is a kind of Testimony § III and of it self hath no sufficient power to prove any thing infallibly therefore as
may suffer and have a share in publick and general calamityes and ruins and sometimes may bear the sins of their Parents The performance of the promise doth most appear either in the times of peace and prosperity or in deliverances and comforts in the time of misery or in those fearfull curses which fall upon such as have been disobedient stubborn and undutifull Children who are punished sometimes with penâ—ry and want sometimes with crosses and discomforts in their own Children Sometimes with losse of their estates and banishment from their native soyl and place of inheritance sometimes with a violent and shamefull death or an ignominious life and all this for the violation of this precept besides other temporall and eternall punishments for their other sins Examples of those rewards and punishments we may read in Scripture and in other Historyes Hitherto I have explained the expresse words of the Commandement § VII There is something further implyed and that 's the duty of parents in respect of their Children For if they be in Gods place and must be honoured then they must be like unto God do good be beneficial to inferiours so as to deserve honour which unnatuall and carelesse parents cannot so much expect As God by the Apostle exhorts Children to obey their Parents so he forbids Parents to provoke their Children Ephes. 6. 4. Where we may observe that in duties the inferiour must be first The Wife must be subject to the Husband first The Children must be obedient to their Parents first Servants to their Mâ—sters first Subjects to the higher Powers first Yet so that superiours have their dutyes which they are bound to perform The dutyes of Parents are either negative or affirmative Negative are many as opposed to the Affirmative The Apostle in the former place expresseth onely one They must not provoke them This is done when they deny that which is necessary and convenient for them in respect of theiâ— ability and estate when they command them unjust or unreasonable things when in their rash passion they revile them and give them ignominious terms though they deserve them not When they use too much severity and sometimes plain cruelty not so much out of a desire to amend them as for to satisfie their own humours and fury as though they would revenge themselves upon them as enemyes To this purpose the Reverend and Learned Bishop Dâ—venant expounds those words Col. 3. 21. Parents must know that there is a great difference between Children and Slaves and a greaâ—er between Children and Enemyes If they will punish them they must be Judges not partyes know the cause and the merit of it be just and not cruel Correct them not Confound them The affirmative dutyes may be reduced to two 1. Preservation 2. Education 1. They must preserve them have a tender care of them maintayn them and provide for them according to their ability lest that life which God by them hath given be miserable or perish They must have a care of their education and bring them up for this life and that which is to come For this life they must train them and teach them or cause them to be taught in some honest kind of proâ—ession as in Husbandry trade or Merchandiâ—e or Learning according to their inclination and capacity Thus Adam and Eve brought up their Children Cain to be an Husband-man and tiâ—â—er of the ground and Abel to be a Shepherd They must not be suffered to spend their time in idlenesse playes sports and Vanity but must exercise themselves in some honest profession whereby they might benefit them and be usefull to their Countrey For the life to come so they must bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and learn them betimes even in their tender yeares so far as they shall be capable to serve their God know their Saviour and seek Eternall Life Ephes. 6. 4. Children have Souls as well as Bodyes and are capable not onely of a temporal but an eternal estate And Parents should endeavour to provide for both especially for the better that their Children might be the Sons and Daughters of the Living God and Heires of Eternall glory What comfort can it be to have Children miserable in this life or if in this life happy eternally miserable in the life to come as it often falls out through want of education To this education belong instruction example correction Familyes should be nurseryes and Seminaryes of Religion And if Parents for want of knowledge or leasure cannot thus educate them let them commit them to School-Masters Trades-men Ministers and others who are fit for that purpose What Parents in this Particular should do Tutours Guardians and such as are trusted with Orphans are bound to perform By this discourse we may easily understand § VIII what the sins both of Children and Parents against this Commandement be For they are contrary to the dutyes here commanded The sins of Children are disobedience to their Parents commands irreverence to their persons rebellion against their power ingratitude and neglect of them in their weaknesse want and misery when they shall take bad courses so as to be a shame grief and discomfort to their Parents who did carefully endeavour and seek their good God will surely punish them For the promise of life peace and prosperity to good Children implyes a commination of a curse against wicked and grace-lesse wretches who cannot be obedient to God when they are disobedient to Parents God high displeasure against incorrigible Children is signified by that law he gave to Israel If a man have a stubborn and rebellious Son which will not obey the voyce of his Father or the voyce of his Mother and that when they have chastned him will not hearken unto them Then shall his Father and Mother lay hold on him and bring him out to the Elders of his City unto the gates of his place and they shall say unto the Elders of his City this our son is stubborn and rebellious he will not obey our voyce He is a glutton and a Drunkard And all the men of his City shall stone him with stones that he dye So shalt thou put evil away from amongst you And all Israel shall hear and fear Deut. 21. 18 19 20 21. These are the sins of Parents § IX as Parents 1. To be unnatural Of this sin many Fornicatours and Adulterers are guilty For fearing shame or some other punishment from men more then from God they murder their Children either before or after their birth or desert them being born and leave them to perish 2. To take no care to maintayn them and provide for them or prodigally to wast that which should relieve them 3. To discourage them dul their Spirits provoke them use them as slaves or beasts or enemyes 4. To be ignorant or negligent so that they either cannot or will not instruct them or cause them to be instructed 5. To be prophane
made some honest imployment to be used the Scripture and pious books to be read the reasons against this sin in Scripture to be remembered the motives unto chastity to be observed good examples of Chastity as that most excellent one of Joseph to be followed Yet we must know that in respect of persons its twofold 1. Of single persons 2. Of married persons Single persons are such as were never married or widows both these must be chast so as not onely to have pure and sanctified minds but also to forbear all kind of Carnall copulation Married persons may have the use of one anothers bodies without any sin but then they must be faithfull one unto another for onely they that have right unto their bodies must have the use of them And if they transgresse their sin is adultery and greater then that of simple fornication not only because it is an abuse of the body as simple fornication is but because it is against the marriage-contract and they have a remedy which single persons have not and many more mischiefs follow upon it In this condition of marriage many may think themselves safe yet no persons though married must neglect their watch presume upon their own strength contemne temptations for they may fail as well as others as wofull experience hath taught many Their secret carriage must be chast before God their outward behaviour must be modest before men the one that they may have a good conscience the other that they may give good example And single persons that have not the gift of continency must marry yet wisely and in the Lord lest that estate which was ordained for a comfort and help prove a discomfort and a snare They are happy in this respect and a great mercy of God it is who have their education in chast and modest families and fall not into familiarity with lewd persons For many who in chast Company would have been chast and would have abhorred this sin have bin defiled by lewd and ungodly persons Yet if we fear our God and trust in him he can preserve us pure in the most filthy societies as he did Lot in Sodom and deliver them in the strongest temptations as he did Joseph This Commandement certainly requires temperance § VII as an excellent preservation of Chastity And divers of the School-men and Casuists oppose it to Luxury which they make a generall under which they reduce and rank in a certain order 1. Simple fornication to which they referr whoredome and the use of Concubiâ—s 2. Incest 3. Adultery 4. Deflowring of Virgins in their parents power 5. Rapes 6. Uncleannesse against nature as Sodomy and Bestiality all which were mentioned formerly Yet this temperance more properly taken is opposed to luxury taken more strictly for excesse in diet and apparrel and such things as tend to the preservation of the body It 's contrary to drunkennesse and gluttony and all excesse in that kind and may include abstinence and fasting for we must keep the body under and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof The body must not be armed against the soul lest the flesh rebel against the spirit The pampering of it is like the warming a frozen Serpent in our bosome to sting us unto death We are commanded to abstain from fleshly lusts which fight against the Soul 1 Pet. 2. 11. Yet temperance is properly and strictly here commanded as tending unto Chastity yet it may come under another notion as it doth dispose us to Heavenly duties and prepare us for our last account There are intemperate persons who are lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God and surfetting and drunkennesse indispose us to divine performances and unprepare us for our latter end And in this respect intemperance is a sin against the first table Drunkennesse absolutely considered is not a sin against this commandement but as inclining and disposing to uncleannesse and in other severall respects against many other For there be divers sins and divers duties reducible to severall parts of this morall Law As there be many disswasives from the sins here forbidden § VIII so there be many Swasives and motives to the duties here Commanded Some are generall motives to Chastity in generall some to Chasity in single life some to Chastity in marriage in particular And every Disswasive in generall and in particular are Swasives either in generall or particular There are disswasives from 〈◊〉 fornication from incest from adultery from rapes and so from the rest whiâ—h are proper The reasons and motives to Chastity in generall especially to Christians are 1. Bâ—cause our bodies are the members of Christ 2. They are the temples of the Holy Ghost 3. We are bought with a price and cannot dispose of our selves as we please but must so use them as our Saviour hath Commanded and we must honour and glorifie him who hath bought them for his they are 4. We have consecrated both soul and body to his service 5. We are Regenerate and sanctified and as in soul so in body and have received a power to perform this duty of Chastity as well as other duties 6. We hope and expect that these bodies shall rise again unto eternall glory and how can we pollute them 7. One Reason in generall to all men Jews Christians Gentiles is that Chaâ—â—ity is the honour of these bodies of ours as uncleannesse is their dishonour For the bodies of all men being tabernacles of the immortall soul and created and redeemed to immortality are far more excellent then the bodies of beasts and therefore must not be abused and made like nay worse and more base then the bodies of brutes There are besides these common reasons others proper to incline married-parties to Conjugall Chastity and fidelity as the honour and Legitimation of our Children the mutuall content and comfort of man and wife the peace and welfare of our Families for the present and of posterity for time to come Gods institution the matrimoniall contract the conâ—inuance of the sacred bond and divers others which may be observed our or Scripture And both the parties must not only be chast and faithfull but wiâ—e in their carriage so as to give no occasion or just suspicion of jealously or be jealous when there is no sufficient cause We should know these things and learn out of Gods word how excellent a virtue Chastity is how pleasing to God how disposing to heavenly duties Out of this knowledge and love to God we should love this duty desire and endeavour to performe it and labour to be chast in our hearts not onely before men but God We must resist temptations and suppresse the first motions unto uncleannesse and with Job make a covenant with our eyes and not think upon a maid Job 31. 1 2 3. unto the 13th In this case if our right eye right hand right â—oot offend us we must cut it off and rather part with our choisest and rarest
Positive And both may be considered as a rule of Mans Obedience Gods Judgment I mean by Moral such as are contayned in the Decalogue and tend more immediately unto Righteousnesse and holinesse and issue more immediately from the Love of God and our Neighbour which are the Principall dutyes of that eternall Law Positive are such as require obedience in things intrinsecally neither good nor evill but indifferent That there were Morall Lawes given to Adam no man can doubt because he was certainly bound to continue Righteous and holy as God made him and to love his God and his Neighbour and to performe such acts as were intrinsecally and necessarily just That he was bound by Positives is clear and evident as appeares by the Prohibition to eate of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil The morall precepts required the continuance of mans Fealty and Subjection and prohibited Revolt Rebellion and Apostacy in the first place and in the next place Obedience to all other dutyes depending upon and derived from that loyalty and fidelity and forbad all other disobedience The Positive law was not merely concerning a solemn rite for confirmation of the Covenant as some do conceive but 1. To signifie the absolute Power of God whereby he could bind man to obedience even in things indifferent whereof man knew no reason of obedience from the thing but meerly from the Will and Pleasure of God 2. To try mans heart and whether he would deny his own understanding and renounce his own Will wholly resigne up himself to the Wisdome Will of God and in these two respects the breach of a Positive law may prove most heynous Mans dominion over the Creatures and giving them names and Marriage are rather reducible to the more generall Providence though the dutyes following upon Marriage and required in the Use of the Creatures may have their place amongst the Moralls of this speciall government What other Positivâ—s besides these concerning the Tree in the mid'st of the garden is not easily determined neither is it needfull to know them if there were any other But these Moralls and Positives were the rules of mans obedience in respect of the precepts and prohibitions The one bound man unto good and so to conform to the Will of God The other bound him not to do evill or any thing that God did not approve These Lawes are a rule of Gods judgement in respect of the Promises § VIII Comminations By Promises God bound himself to Man to reward and blesse him for his encouragement to obedience and the reward being sweet excellent and very desireable was a mighty Motive unto Performance of duty By the Commination he made man liable to punishment if once he disobeyed and death was so terrible that to the rationall Creature it was a mighty and strong restraint The thing promised was Life and the same not onely bodily and spiritual but eternall Yet this life was not a new being but the happinesse of the former Being And this happinesse was not meerely a continuance of that present estate he enjoyed in Paradise but a farr higher condition which might reach Heaven and come neere the blisse of Angels This seemes to be intimated because the Tree of Life is used by the Spirit to signifie that Eternall Life which is to be enjoyed in the Heavenly Paradise Rev. 2. 7. Death which was threatened was not onely a dissolution of Soul and Body begun in the miseryes of this Life but also spirituall and eternall punishments For it 's opposed to that eternall Life we obtayne by Jesus Christ Rom. 5. 21. and 6. 23. Without this Promise man could not have had upon his obedience any right unto or certain hope of eternall Life and that felicity which was suitable to his intellectuall and immortall being And if man obeyed God was absolutely bound by this promise to reward If he disobeyed Man was liable to be punished though God was not absolutely bound to Punish Yet to vindicate the honour of his Law his will was that some punishment must be suffered before he would Pardon and Save CHAP. XII Of Sin in generall and the first Sin in particular AFter that God had given man Lawes § I and man began to observe or violate the same God began to exercise his universall and supreme jurisdiction not by Delegates and inferiour Judges but by Himself The proper subject of this judgment was man as subject to Gods Power under his Laws and observing or violating the same For As the Law determins jus observandum and so prescribes mans duty So judgement considers jus aut Observatum aut Violatum as Observed or Violated already The Act of this judgement was to render to man according to his Works in generall and in particular as mens workes are good or bad agreeable or disagreeable to his Laws to reward or punish For judgement is a Retribution and the end of it is justice in the execution of his Laws for the happinesse or misery of Man according to his doings And here by the way we may observe that as the Law is de actibus futuris of future works So judgment is of Acts past And here it may be doubted Whether God gave any command of Habits And this is easily resolved for God bound man to habituall righteousnesse and holinesse so farr as Habits did depend upon Acts For as an habit is acquired by Acts and former habits strengthened and improved and demerit prevented so by disobedient Acts the Active Power to righteousnesse is not only Weakened but in danger upon demerit to be taken away by the just Judge God gave man sufficient power to continue such as he made him and to perform perfect obedience if he by sin did not deprive himself of that Power According to mans obedience § II first and then his disobedience God proceeded to judgement first in rewards then in punishments For man did not sin instantly and immediately upon his Creation but continued subject and obedient for a certain time But how long we cannot punctually determine But long it was not before he was tempted and did transgresse Whilst he performed his duty and observed his Creator's Laws his condition according to Gods promise was very comfortable His Dominion over the Creatures was continued Paradise his habitation the holy Angels his Friends the Creatures his Servants He had free accesse to the Tree of Life enjoyed sweet Communion with his God who continued his Sanctifying Spirit in him and all necessary assistance unto him His peace joy content hope were excellent He was free from that fear shame misery pain curse and punishment which followed upon his Sin and happy he and his had been if he had walked constantly with his God And thus whilst he was innocent without any fault and obedient without any sin God dwelt with him and made him happy without any misery Only this was wanting that as he had not perfected his obedience so he was not confirmed
Himself wherein we have both His absolute and relative Titles whereby He asserts both His own absolute and supream Power and their dependence upon Him The Titles are three The first is absolute I am the Lord which signifies His absolute and most perfect Being in Himself who is worthy of all glory honour power and subjection for evermore For all glorious and most excellent perfections agree to Him who is so glorious and so excellent in Himself and the Basis and immovable Foundation of the World and of all created Beings which issue from His infinite and Almighty Power and without His sustentation return to nothing From this we understand that this Lord and Law-giver is onely one and there can be no other For He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings The second Title which together with the third being relative is Thy God To be the God of Israel was not onely to be creatour preserver and governour in generall for so he was the God of all mankind but it iâ—cludes some speciall relation to them For he was their God and in such a manner as He was to none others He was their God by Election Promise and their voluntary submission and engagement so that they were his Peculiar People By this also we understand their total dependence upon him his absolute power over them and that whatsoever degree of subjection and duty he should require it was justly due unto him and that not onely by vertue of his Power but their solemn engagement Exod. 19. 8. The third Title is Who have brought thee out of the land of Aegypt out of the house of Bondage This doth put them in mind of their Bondage and sad condition in Aegypt and deliverance out of the same If we consider their condition before this deliverance We shall find 1. They were but Sojourners in that Idolatrous nation had no Countrey or habitation hereditary of their own in any place under heaven 2. They were under a cruel bloody Tyrant and had neither governours nor governments independent of themselves 3. Their male Children were born to be murdered and to lose their life so soon as they began to enjoy it in the light of the World 4. They were made absolute slaves and drudges and bound to base and hard service which they were no wayes able to perform and yet liable to grievous punishments if they performed it not Yet out of this sad condition God did deliver them in a wonderfull and glorious manner For 1. God fearfully plagued and punished their enemyes and took vengeance on them for their cruel oppression 2. Brought them out with an high hand 3. They were no sooner departed out of that cursed Kingdome but God took them into his special Protection A Cloud must cover them by day and be a guide and Pillar of fire and light by night The Angels of Heaven not onely going before them but bringing up the reare 4. When Pharoah with the power of Egypt pursued them and took them in the straites he divided the Sea and made way for them through the deep wherein he drowned the host and strength of Egypt with their King pursuing them 5. His Providence over them being a continued course of Miracles had brought them thus far towards that goodly land wherein he intended to settle them and give them peace and prosperity till their Saviour and Redeemer should come and be exhibited And as that land was a type of their heavenly inheritance so this deliverance was of their spirituall and eternall redemption by Jesus Christ. So that as Gods benefits were unspeakable so their engagements unto God were high and very great and so great as they could never be sufficiently thankfull And if he should give them any lawes they were bound in the highest degree to observe them not onely for his glory but their own happinesse For God had delivered them out of the hands of their enemyes that they might serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all their dayes Luk. 1. 74 75. This preface was of greatest force to engage them and the fittest that possibly could be to prepare them for this law and perswade them to obedience And to this end it includes a multitude of most powerfull motives and though it hath speciall reference to the first and great commandement yet it referrs to all the rest as depending upon it And seeing this law was given 430 yeares after the promise of the Blessed seed made to their Father Abraham they might have understood that it was not given for justification and life but to be a School-Master or Tutour to order and direct unto Christ in whom they were to seek Remission of their sins and eternal life Though many of them understood it not in this manner Yet we Christians who have a clearer light can have no excuse if we be ignorant hereof These Commandements were written in two Tables and 1. Are reducible to two heads Such as determine 1. Our duty towards God 2. Our duty towards our Neighbour 2. These bind the conscience and reach the very will and heart of man and not onely acts inward or outward issuing from the heart 3. As they are delivered unto us Exod. 20. They were given to Israel in particular and the word Thou used in every Commandement signifies that God in them spake unto that Israel whom he brought up out of Aegypt and stood before Mount Sinai when God spake these words and it signifies all Israel joyntly as one person collective and every one of them severally in particular 4. As given then at that time to Israel it did neither promise Pardon of any sin nor power of the Spirit to keep it Both these were to be expected from the promise made to Abraham and annexed to that promise it did serve to discover sin and to direct to Christ promised 5. When we find the dutyes of the law pressed upon Believers in Christ we must know that they are to be performed to God Redeemer by the power of the Spirit of Christ as hath been said before 6. There are some dutyes mentioned in Scripture which are so generall as to comprehend all the Commandements Some that extend to all the first table and some to all the second as we use to speak Some are expresly delivered in the severall Commandements Some deducible from the express words Some onely reducible unto these heads by way of analogie or some trope in Rhetorick yet expresly mentioned in other Scriptures and one and the same thing may in severall respects be commanded or forbidden in severall commandements 7. This law is distinct both from the Judicial and Ceremonial yet both are reducible to it The first commandement virtually includes all the rest and is purely morall in the first place as the last is morall in the second place and all the rest derive their Morality from these two as was before hinted Other rules delivered by severall authours for the better understanding of
5. 26. As there cannot be two Kings in full power in one Kingdome So there cannot be two Gods in one heart at one time To us Christians who make the Gospel the rule of our Worship it 's not sufficient to acknowledge God as Creatour Preserver and Governour of the World For so Turks Mahumetans and Jews do we sin if we do not acknowledge him and Him alone as our Redeemer by Christ exhibited and glorified Therefore to deny Christ thus represented unto us or to acknowledge another Christ with him or besides him or to give any expiating power to any Sacrifice but his or make any other Sacrafice the same or equall with his or to make any other our Advocate in Heaven and the propitiation of our sins is against this law evangelically understood For to us Christians there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him 1 Cor. 8. 6. Neither is there Salvation in any other For there is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we can be saved Act. 4. 12. In this respect all Jewes and Mahumetans and such as Worship God and not by Christ are offenders Yet not onely they but all such to whom the Gospel is preached and yet receive not Jesus Christ for their Lord and Saviour or receive him and proâ—esse him and not fully and sincerely with their whole heart as God requireth are guilty and can in no wise be excused from the Transgression of this Commandement Hitherto is to be referred all Positive unbelief of those to whom Christ hath been sufficiently manifested by the light of the Gospel For he that receives not Christ and refuseth to submit unto him refuseth to receive and submit to that God who sent him Impenitency as it is an obstinate continuance in sin against the meanes and Motives to repentance is reducible to this head Because all such impenitents deny to return unto their God as mercifull in Christ. These are Enemyes and Rebels against the Supreme Monarch The Idolatry of such as depend upon or have compliance with or give any Honour to the Devil is most heynous § VII Because he not onely is no God but the grand enemy unto God Thereâ—ore Charmers Sorcerers Wizards and especially Witches and Conjurors who have familiar Spirits and contract with them must needs be great Transgressours And such as seek unto them or depend upon them cannot be innocent Of this sin of worshipping Devils the Idolatrous Gentiles were guilty For the things they sacrificed they sacrificed to Devills and not to God 1 Cor. 10. 20. The Apostate Jewes also sacrificed their Sons and Daughters unto Devills Psal. 106. 37. And so in one Act made themselves guilty not onely of Idolatry but unnatural murther Apostacy whether from God the Creatour once acknowledged or from Jesus Christ once received comes in here And such Apostates as turn Persecutors are the most to be abhorred of all others Under these two heads of Atheism and Idolatry all Pride Prophane contempt or neglect of the Divine Majesty distrust disobedience are concluded And the habitual predominancy of any one sin is inconsistent with the Evangelical obedience unto this Commandement The Affirmative part of this Commandement presupposeth § VIII or rather pre-re-quireth a Knowledge and belief of one onely supreme Lord and Soveraign God Blessed for evermore And the principall dutyes are 1. An acknowledgement of him as such against Atheism and subjection to him alone as our Supreme and onely Lord. And though we be subject unto him and depend upon him though we should never thus voluntarily submit yet by this Voluntary submission we freely yield our selves unto him as his Servants and his Vassals This is the great law of Fealty and Allegiance which is first promised and after that really and continually to be performed In performance of this duty we wholly give and resign up our selves even our very hearâ—s unto him so that we are nothing in our selves all in him And we who are Christians must subject our selves unto him not onely as Creatour but Redeemer Therefore that faith whereby we so receive Christ as our onely Redeemer so that we are ready to forsake all things to gain him is reducible to this Commandement as Evangelically understood This subjection includes and implyes many dutyes more particular § IX The object and ground of it is his supreme power or dominion which presupposeth many yea all his perfections and also many of his glorious Works His truth revealed requires assent and belief His goodnesse and love manifested requires love His Lawes obedience His dignity and excellency Adoration with humility and Reverence His Benefits thankfulnesse His threatnings of temporall and eternall punishments fear His glorious perfections of Wisdome Power Justice c manifested Praise His promises hope Prayer confidence and desire His communication of himself unto us in mercyes and blessings for our safety deliverance happinesse joy So in other respects other dutyes are to be performed Without all these as occasion requireth this subjection is imperfect Yet this is so to be understood that we may Believe Love Fear Worship Obey others by commission from him as they shall some wayes represent Him or derive some Particle of power or excellency from him And all these are to be performed to him 1. As supreme 2. In the highest degree 3. To him alone as supreme in the Highest degree He is the highest and most excellent object of all our powers and facultyes and the ultimate end of all our Operations This Commandement is purely and primarily moral and must be observed in Heaven And all other vertues and acts required in other Commandements are so far just as they do agree with this Love of Father Mother Dearest relation Life it self if once they come in competition with this are no dutyes are unjust We may exceed in the love of any thing but in the love of Him we cannot He deserves infinit Love yet he alone can infinitely love himself Therefore though he deserve it as infinite yet he requireth it not of his Creature which being finit cannot love infinitely To love him in the Highest degree and above all is sincerity yet not perfection For though we may love him above all yet we may and must love him more But love him so perfectly as this law requires we cannot till we see him face to face know him fully and are fully sanctified Yet the highest degree of love in Angels and the glorified Saints is but finite To conclude the explication of this Precept we must know that not onely the highest degree but all Honour Service Subjection is due onely unto God â—n proper and strict sense For in respect of him Men and Angells are equaâ—â— and but â—ellow Subjects one with another And to them as such no Subjection Honour Service can be due Yet seeing by Commission from God some of them may
particular dutyes here commanded § XIII we must out of the Scripture observe the particular institutions of God Some of these were required of God in all times as Word and Prayer For the Church did alwayes serve their God in these two neither could it at any time continue a Church without them There be two acts of worship in respect of the word Teaching and Learning it as the onely Doctrine revealed from Heaven to direct man unto eternall life It might be taught by many kind of Persons and many ways The Persons were extraordinary as Prophets and Apostles and such as were immediately inspired from Heaven or ordinary private or publique Every Person and Servant of God endued with the knowledge thereof might instruct one another every man his Brother Parents were bound to instruct their Children and Masters their Servants But the Publique Teachers in Congregations and Assemblies were persons of more eminent knowledge designed for this purpose as ordinary Prophets Levites and Doctours amongst the Israelites Presbyters and Ministers who are called Pastours and Teachers in the time of the Goâ—pel and also Catechists Therefore the Ordination and Publick Approbation of Teachers according to the Rules of the Word of God is hither to be reduced as a part of Worship This Doctrine for the manner is taught by Word or by Writing By word of mouth as by Preaching Expounding Catechizing The learning of this Word is also a part of this Service And to this belongs Hearing Reading Conference and asking and proposing Questions to receive Answers and Instruction Meditation Repetition For the means by which the knowledge of this Heavenly and Saving-Doctrine is either communicated or received are hither to be referred This Teaching and Hearing are Duties as commanded by God and instituted by Him as a part of His Worship Yet such it is not except the Doctrine taught and heard be Divine and from Heaven and as such taught and received by an undoubted assent and acknowledgment of it as infallible In the teaching of this Word Precepts must be delivereâ— as Precepts Prohibitions as Prohibitions Promises as Promises Threatnings as Threatnings Reproofs as Reproofs Exhortations as Exhortations and so of the rest of the distinct parts of this Word To communicate and receive this Word as a means to know God His Works and His Will is a Duty of this Commandement but to communicate and receive it as the Word of the everlasting King and onely Lord with the highest degree of honour and respect is a Duty of the first Commandement And God in His Wisdom ordained this signification of His Mind by Word and Writing as far more excellent and perfect than that by Images and the works of mens hands as not only base and imperâ—ect but dangerous and unsafe This of Word was more sutable unto the Nature and Constitution of Man as a Rational Creature who had a Tongue given him to speak and teach and an Ear to hear and learn and an Eye to read not onely in the Book of Gods gloriouâ— Works but also of His Blessed Writings And when He gave this Law He spake it and did write it but did not represent and signifie it by any Image much less by any work of mens hands This Representation by His Word was the purest and the best for man that this life is capable of Prayer is another principal part § XIV both of publique and private Worship and instituted by God And as it is to be made to God and God alone so it 's to be referred to the first Commandement as a means of our converse and communion with God so it is required in this And by this it 's evident that no man can observe this Commandement except he observe the former And here we must distinguish between the matter the form and the outward expression of Prayer All these must be such as God hath instituted and prescribed to Man in His Word and agreeable to the same There may some circumstances observable in the performance of this Duty be left unto the Reason and Prudence of Man For God hath not determined all the Particulars to be observed in the Method the outward expressions the gestures This Prayer may be in private and in secret the work onely of the Soul But with company and in publique there must be outward expressions and gestures of the body The outward expressions without the inward acts and affections of the Soul are not properly a Prayer but onely a carkass thereof To draw near unto God with the Lips and not with the 〈◊〉 is a poor service and no ways worthy to be called the act of a Man as he is a Rational Creature much less the Worship of God To this head of Prayer may be reduced Praise Thanksgiving Confession of 〈◊〉 singing of Psalms which if they be merely Doctrinal belong unto the Word iâ— any thing of Petition Praise Thanksgiving to be offered to God be in them then they belong to this of Prayer Fasting also and Humiliation is annexed to Petition and especially Deprecation may come under this Head Publick Prayer in an unknown Language is both unprofitable and unwarrantable For the People ignorant of the Language wherein it is expressed cannot say Amen Yet Set-Forms and premeditated Prayers are not unlawful if they be offered to God with Understanding Attention and Affection neither do they as some sonâ—â—ly affirm stint the Spirit of Supplication They may be a great help unto weaker Christians and supply their deâ—ects Yet for men to tye themselves to such or such a form of words with affectation as though there were some greater efficacy in thsoe words and expressions then in others as good and significant as they can be no less then Superstition For so to do is to turn Prayer into a Charm or Inchantment Again to tye our selves to a form 〈…〉 neglect those gifts which God hath given us cannot be excused for it 's ceâ—tainâ—y a â—ault The forms and expressions used in Scripture if rightly applyed 〈◊〉 the best But assectate and curious tearms and the gaudy colours of Rhetorâ—â—â— used by some in their Devotion are not tollerable For we must not compâ—eâ—ent with our great and glorious God To think we cannot so well say Amen â—o the devout and godly Prayers of others which we know not before we heâ—r them as to those Set-Forms which we know and have used before is a Foolery To offer unto God some part of our goods to relieve the Poor or maintain His Worship or for some other Religious Uâ—e is a Duty here required So likewise to give Him some part of our time To consecrate the seventh part of our time belongs unto the â—ourth Commandement as it determines that distinct portion To this Commandement belong all Ceremonies instituted by God and especially Sacraments as Circumcision and the Passover before the Exhibition of Christ and His coming in the flesh and Baptism and the Lords Supper in the times of the Gospel
of Rest. 4. An Holy Rest not a rest from all Works but such as are secular 5. The word Day doth distinguish it from Years and Moneths and Weeks as greater and longer times and from an hour as a shorter measure of time And because it may signifie either a natural day of 24 hours or as it is an artificial day so far as it is a time of work and is opposed to a Night which is a time appointed by God for man to rest in For here it 's differenced from those six days wherein man may labour and do his secular works which also had their several nights and times of rest from the Creation And as our secularâ—work on other days is not confined merely to the time of Light natural from the Sun approaching unto or appearing in our Horizon no more is this Sabbath-Day Yet God did not take from it nor deny man in it a Night as a time of Rest. And men in these things should not be more precise than God would have them to be It 's not material whether we turn it The Sabbath or A Sabbath though The Sabbath is more emphatical and more agreeable to the Hebrew Chaldee Septuagim all which put a double Particle One upon the day another upon Sabbath Remember The Day of The Sabbath This word Sabbath-day doth not determine whether it should be one day in a Year or in a Moneth or in a Week Whether it should be the first or last of a Week or any of the intervenient Days neither doth it inform us when the Week begins or ends Yet that People of the Jews might easily understand that he meant that particular Sabbath-Day wherein they were prohibited to gather Manna which God denyed to give them that time And if they had been ignorant of this they might easily know that it signified such a time as God should determine and judge sufficient for preservation of Religion and His Worship and yet leave a competent portion of time for man's necessities This appears by the Explication following For all this I do not think that God did ever make such account of this or that seventh day as that one and the same should be of necessity and of universal and perpetual Obligation to Jews and Gentiles Neither is there any Morality in the number of seven or any necessary dependence of the continuance of Religion upon this or that seventh day The light of Natural Reason seems unable of it self to know this time yet if it be once revealed by God it cannot but acknowledge the Equity of it It may dictate unto us that if God once determine the time that time is the fittest The Heathens might have some Astronomical knowledge of the seventh day but Theological they could have none except by Tradition To sanctifie it This is the principall part of this Commandement § VI and of mans duty To sanctifie this day But it s one thing for God another thing for man to sanctifie it God may hallow it by his practise as he did the first 7th day of the World or by his institution and command For his command institution designation of the day makes it relatively holy distinguisheth it from and advanceth it above other dayes and binds man to honour it in his practice Man sactifies it for that is the sanctification here intended yet presupposing the former 1. When he esâ—eemes and accounts that day such as God hath made it 2. When not onely he rests from secular works but applyes that time to the due performance of those heavenly services which God requires of him especially and principally on this day It 's a time wherein the soul must be more imployed then the Body it 's a time wherein we must converse more with God than men with Heaven than with earth it 's a time ordained not for the temporal so much as the spiritual and eternal good of man it 's a time wherein we must not onely cease from our worldly labours businesse imployment which take up and toyl the body but sequesâ—er our hearts from worldly thoughts cares aâ—fections which distract our minds and diviner facultyes Thus instituted of God and thus hallowed of man it s the best and most excellent and noble part of our time and resembles in some degree that eternal Sabbath which we hope to hallow more perfectly in heaven When we shall be free from all sin and sorrow and Rest our selves with unspeakable content and joy in our God! This will be that glorious Festival and Holy-day the Sun whereof shall never set but ever shine For it shall have no end But this Blessed and Eternal Sabbath is not prepared for prophane wretches who neglect to serve their God on earth but for such as shall be most careâ—ull to sanctifie God Sabbaths in this life For the more carefull we are of the one the more sure we may be of the other The summe of the Commandement is this That whatsoever time God shall determine and design to man for a Sabbath man must remember it and be very carefull not onely to rest in it and forbear his secular imployments therein but he must be carefull to sanctifie it in the holy performance of Heavenly services without distraction After the words of the Commandement followes the explication § VII Wherein God 1. Explaines the word Sabbath Day and determins in particular what day he meant and singles it out from amongst the rest 2. Teacheth him how to sanctifie it 3. Gives the reason why he did determin upon that day for Rest and sanctification rather then upon any other So that in the words following we have 1. The determination of the day 2. The sanctification of the day 3. The reason of both 1. The determination of the day is in these words Six dayes shalt thou labour and do all thy Works but the 7th Day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God Herein He 1. Takes out of mans time Six dayes and assignes them for secular imployments 2. He pitcheth upon the 7th which he appropriates to himself and designes for the Sabbath The former words Six dayes shalt thou labour and do all thy works are neither a Command nor a Permission nor a Toleration nor indulgence in strict sense whatsoever they may imply But the proper intention of them is to single out six dayes that God may let us know that none of them is the Sabbath but the 7th following They first presuppose that measure of time we call a week according to the number of the first seven dayes of the World which God created in six dayes and ceased from Creation the 7th 2. They imply that the Sabbath is weekly 3. That it 's none of the Six dayes In these six dayes man may labour and do his Work and all his Work By Mans Work may be meant 1. The work of sin in opposition to the Works of God and of the Spirit which are contrary and as God never gave any liberty
worse or to do nothing For if the thing commanded had been onely rest then a Beast might keep the Sabbath as well as Man and receive as much benefit from it Therefore this time was subordinate to an higher end then rest and rest was ordayned for a diviner imployment as the service of our God and the sanctification of our souls For we must Remember the Sabbath day to sanctifie it But it cannot be a Sabbath except we rest it cannot be sanctified except we apply and consecrate that time of rest to God and the service of his glorious Majesty The Jewes were directed by the Prophet how to observe a Sabbath in these words If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on mine holy day and call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine own wayes nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own words then thou shalt delight thy self in the Lord Esay 58. 13. 14. In which words we have 1. A Precâ—pt 2. A promise of Reward The matter of the precept is the sanctification of the Sabbath by which Synechdochically is understood mans duty unto God For to sanctifie the Sabbath sincerely includes all the dutyes of the first table which have God for their immediate object In this sactification we may observe 1. The quality of the day 2. The observation of it 1. The qualityes are these 1. It 's a Sabbath and day of rest 2. It 's Gods day 3. It 's holy Gods holy day 4. It 's honourable and more excellent then other days 2. The observation requires 1. That we rest and that 1. From our sin and our vain pleasures 2. From our own Labours Works Words and all secular acts 2. That we consecrate it unto God with joy and delight so that our observation may answer the quality of the day and tend to the glory of God The persons charged with this Duty § VI are 1. Every one who is sui juris and can dispose of himself for labour and rest 2. Those persons are either Superiours or Inferiours Superiours are either private as Parents and Masters of Families or publick as Magistrates and Governours And these must 1. In their own persons rest and sanctifie this day 2. They must cause others subject to their power so far as in them is to do the like For as they are charged so they must have care of the persons subject unto them and use all means to cause them to serve their God and obey Him as well as themselves In this respect it 's true that Magistratus est custos utriusque tabulae and so is every Superiour invested with power The Inferiours are either rational or irrational Rational are either members of the Family or of the State or Church or Strangers Members of the Family are either Children as Sons and Daughters or Servants as Man-servants Maid-servants Strangers are either strangers in a Family or in a City and they may be Native or Aliens and Aliens may be Proselytes and incorporate or not incorporate Irrational as Ox or Ass or any Beast that is used for travel or labour in carrying or other Works of Husbandry This last of Brutes is not so to be understood as though the Law were given to Brutes and irrational Creatures For they are not capable of Laws The Law is not given to them but of them It 's given to Man who is the Owner and Master of the Beast 1. That he might be merciful unto his Beast For God will not have man to be cruel unto his labouring and harmless Beast For he that is cruel to these will be cruel to his Servants and such as are under his power 2. Because his Beast could not be used for Travail Carriage Draught Plowing treading out the corn or other service except some man as the Master or his children or his Servants direct them and make that use of them And from hence it 's evident That one end of this Commandement was the refreshment of Man and Beast and God in this had respect unto poor Servants who might by cruel and covetous Masters be abused and oppressed and also debarred from the service of their God to the hazard of their poor souls Poor Servants had Souls as well as the best were bound to serve their God and had as much need of Spiritual comfort as free men or their Masters And in those days if any Servants were under cruel and prophane Masters their case was lamentable For being either taken in War or sold or born Servants their Masters might force them to labour that day or to suffer cruelly if the Magistrate did not relieve them These words signifie that no man in power should suffer any Subject unto them to prophane the Sabbath so far as they could hinder it Neither did this charge unto Superiours excuse Inferiours who had liberty to sanctifie this day if they did neglect or prophane it And such as were restrained were bound to use all means to obtain this liberty to serve their God To say that this Commandement was given of Servants not unto Servants is not true For then it would follow that if they had good and Religious Masters or such as would permit them to observe the day yet they were not bound unto that duty neither did they offend if they did prophane it So far indeed as they were merely passive and subject to the absolute power of their Superiours who would in no wise suffer them to rest and sanctifie this day when they desired it and they should every way endeavour to enjoy this liberty and after all this could not then the sin must lye upon their Masters and Superiours upon whom God would charge it and that heavily too And let all Inferiours who enjoy this liberty be thankful to their God who hath shewed such great mercy to them The reason of the Institution of the Sabbath follows § IX And it 's from the end which in general is the remembrance of some great and glorious work of God for which he ought to be praised and glorified One Reason why the Israelites must rest and also give liberty to their Servants to rest is because they themselves were Servants in the Land of Aegypt and had little intermission granted them either for to refresh their Bodies or sanctifie Holy Times And this very rest and liberty might put them in mind of their great deliverance and stir them up to thankfulness upon their Sabbath-days Deut. 5. 15. Another Reason and the same more general was from the great work of Creation worthy of eternal remembrance And herein God is a Pattern and proposeth his own example unto man for imitation that as he in six days created Heaven and Earth and rested the seventh day and so sanctified and honoured it above other days so man might labour six days and rest the seventh and sanctifie it to the Lord. This example doth more distinctly
and clearly inform man that the World was not from everlasting but had beginning and that God did create it and so became the universal and supream Lord of Heaven and Earth by the Work of six days The seventh day wherein he rested from his work was a fit time for man's rest that on that day man might contemplate the glorious Works of God acknowledge God to be the Creatour and every Sabbath say Thou art worthy Oh Lord to receive glory honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Rev. 4. 11. Besides the example of God's labour rest and Sanctification He knew that six days in the week was a fit proportion of time for man's secular works and one in seven for Diviner Employments And this is given the reason why God sanctified the seventh day and blessed it because that after in six days He had created Heaven and Earth He rested the 7th day And howsoever this great Work of Creation is never to be forgotten by Man yet because to sinful man the Work of Redemption is a greater blessing Therefore the first day of the Week being the day of Christ's Resurrection and the Restauration of Mankind is more to be observed and remembred The Lord said unto Judah Behold the days come when it shall be no more said The Lord liveth which brought up the Children of Israel out of the Land of Aegypt But the Lord liveth that brought the Children of Israel from the Land of the North c. Jer. 16. 14 15. So it may be said to us Christians since the time of Christ's glorification That it shall be no more said the Lord liveth that in six days made Heaven and Earth and rested the 7th day But the Lord liveth who after His Death and cruel Passion is risen again and hath redeemed sinful man from Hell and Eternal Death For if two great Blessings be received one after the other the latter and the greater is more to be remembred and the time thereof rather to be observed Therefore we do not observe the 7th day wherein God rested from the Work of Creation but the first day wherin Christ rose again and rested from His Work of Humiliation And though therein we do not forget the Work of Creation yet we rather remember the Work of Redemption and glorifie our God for the same From this Explication of the Words of God we may understand § XII what is here commanded and what is here forbidden The things commanded are two 1. Rest For we must remember a Sabbath and in the same we must do no manner of work 2. Sanctification For we must remember the Sabbath-day to sanctifie it Rest is two-fold 1. Of the Body 2. Of the Mind and in both these we must rest 1. The Body must rest from secular works which hinder and disturb us in the service of our God 2. The Soul must cease from such Thoughts Cares Meditations and Affections which as much distract us in the Worship of our God as labours of the Body do Again bodily works of man as man endued with understanding cannot be done without the Soul attending directing and moving it much less can Heavenly Duties be performed without the Soul which in the time of these Services must be drawn off from the World and sixed upon far more excellent Objects And because many Games and Sports which are accounted Recreations do as much toyl the Body and distract and take up the Soul as secular Works do therefore we must needs judge them to be contrary to the Rest here commanded And our very words of Conference and Discourse upon this time may be such as are neither consistent with the Rest nor the Sanctification required in this Precept Yet this Rest is not to be so strictly taken as though all kind of Work and Bodily Labour were unlawful on this day Therefore 1. Works of Necessity may be done this day and which those are the Light of Reason is sufficient to determine as to save Man or Beast in danger to receive harm or pâ—rish if not that day relieved Therefore the very Pharisees who were so precise in the observation of the outward Rest could not deny unto our Saviour but that upon the Sabbath it was lawful to lift a Beast out of a Pit or Ditch into which it was then fallen And upon the same ground it cannot be unlawful on that day to fight and defend our selves against an Enemy 2. Works which tend to the refreshment and ordinary preservation of Man and Beast cannot be unlawful Therefore on this day we cloath our selves and take our ordinary food and repast and a Beast may be watered and fed this day as well as others 3. Works which tend unto the Sanctification of the Day are not prohibited For we may travail unto and return from the places of publick Assemblies for Prayer Reading Preaching and other Divine Services The Priests under the Law did kill their Sacrifices and so prophaned the Sabbath and were blameless Math. 12. 5. And it was thought no prophanation to circumcise an Infant upon that day Joh. 7. 23. Of this nature is the toyl and labour of the Ministers in their several Congregations 4. Neither is any work of mercy as visiting the Sick administring Physick relieving the Poor and such like contrary to this Rest. And the reason of all this is because the Sabbath is for man and not man for the Sabbath and therein God intended our good not our hurt The principal thing required is the sincere Worship of God from an heart seriously bent and inclined thereunto nor the performance of some outward piece of service in such a precise nick of time Yet we must take care always to have a sanctified heart and a desire to sanctifie the same and what we lose one time we must endeavour to recompence at another The second Duty here commanded § XIII is Sanctification of the Day and this is the principal Duty â—o which Rest is subordinate For as there can be no Sanctification without Rest so there can be no Rest acceptable to God but that which tends to Sanctification An Holy Rest is the thing here commanded It must be the Rest of a Man and not of a Beast and the Rest of an Holy Man as Holy Therefore this Commandement presupposeth Man to be habitually sanctified For an unsanctified man cannot sanctifie a Sabbath as God requires it to be sanctified This Sanctification consists in the performance of Holy Duties in the Worship of God The Object of this Worship must be God alone The parts of the Worship must be such as He hath instituted and the acts of Worship must be performed by persons who are sanctified and in an holy manner And to consecrate this 7th Day to these Holy Services is the very thing here prescribed Therefore to this Sanctification is required 1. A knowledge of the day that it 's determined by God 2. A
judgement mercy and Faith Math. 23. 23. Where he intimates 1. That there be lesse and greater dutyes 2. That to pay Tyth of our goods and fruites is a duty of the first Table and judgement mercy and Faith of the second 3. That payment of Tythes though a duty of the first Table is inferiour to Judgement Mercy and Faith duties of the second Table In the time of the Law Sacrifice New-Moones Sabbath Solemn-Feasts and prayers were duties of the first rank and form to be performed to God yet then God required justice and mercy to Man before them as appeares Esay 1. from verse 11. to the 18. And he desires Mercy more then Sacrifice Hos. 6. 6. And if any except and say that Sacrifices and Sabbaths were part of the Ceremonial not the moral Law I answer that the Weekly Sabbath and so prayer were dutyes required in the moral Law and all the Ceremonies of worship were branches thereof in those times After the difference § II and inequality the order is to be considered and that is either general of the whole in respect of the former part of the Law or of the parts amongst themselves The order of the whole is either of dignity or nature The former precepts and dutyes considered comparatively with the later are more excellent and terminated upon a more noble object and the performance of them conduced more immediately to the supreme end and communion with our God and so deserve the first place which God hath given them As for the order of nature its evident that we have relation first to God our Creatour Redeemer Lord and King before we have relation unto man our fellow-subject and the love of our God is before the love of our Neighbour because we cannot love our Neighbour aright except we first love our God The latter depends upon and issues from the former which doth regulate and rightly qualifie the later and besides the morality of the later is derived from the morality of the former as you heard before As the object of the dutyes required in the former precept was God so the object of these latter are Men with whom we do converse We must love and honour Saints departed and the blessed Angels yet the Persons here principally understood are men living upon earth with whom we have ordinary Communion For these Commandements do refer unto this life and respect men living in this vale of teares and therefore much of this Law shall cease to bind in Heaven To do as we would be done unto and to love our Neighbours as our selves do virtually containe all the particulars of this part and are the brief abridgement of the whole To leave every man unto his liberty in the distribution and digesting of these later Commandements unto a method and to unfold the excellency of that order which God hath observed I will at this time deliver mine own apprehensions of the same Upon consideration I find that these six last precepts may be distinguished into two sorts 1. Such as receive or 2. Such as give morality § III Such as receive their morality are the V. VI. VII VIII IX the five first of the second Table That which gives morality is the Last which is the measure and foundation of the five former For you must note that in the former Table God did begin with the greatest and the principall and so proceeded to the lesse and inferiour but in this part he proceeds in another order and reserves the greatest to the last Of the five which derive their morality from the last some prescribe the rule of justice to be observed Some a rule oâ— judgement Those which prescribe a rule of justice do determine Jus Personarum aut Rerum the right of persons or things belonging to perâ—ons The fifth determins the right of persons the rest the right of things which are life wise goods or estate The 6th is concerning life The 7th concerning our Neighbours Wife The 8th concerning mens goods In the 9th we have the rule of judgement Gods order and method if we can observe it is most accurate and excellent The last which gives morality to the former five commands the love of our Neighbours as of our selves as you shall heare hereafter And this is the root and rule of all the rest For as our Saviour comprized all the foure first Commandements in the love of God so he collected and included all the latter precepts in the love of our Neighbour These things first observed § IIII let us enter upon the explication of the 5th Commandement which as Philo saith had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and was placed in the confines of both the two Tables and joynes them together Whether it was the last in the first Table as some conceive or the first in the second or part of it in the former and part in the latter I will not dispute This is certain they were all written in two Tables this of necessity is next to those which concern our duty to God Parents and superiours represent God and yet are men and so that Commandement hath some affinity with the former though more agreement with the latter This Commandement determins the right of persons who are superiours inferiours equals To Equals the offices of love and humanity are due but no honour for its the â—ight which inferiours must give to superiours as superiours and of them it is principally intended For God did so order it that though all men as men are subjects fellow-subjects amongst themselves and under the power of God as their Lord and Soveraign yet there should be an imparity not onely of excellency and dignity but of power amongst them for without imparity there can be no order The first imparity is naturall wherein Parents are superiour to their Children and that in po-wer And I will consider and understand the Commandement first of natural Parents and their Children and afterwards proceed to the imparity which is by institution and which may be reduced Analogically to this Commandement Wherein we have 1. The duty Commanded 2. The reward promised In the duty we may observe 1. The persons who are bound to perform it 2. The persons to whom it s to be performed 3. The duty it self The persons bound to perform it are not expressed but easily understood 1. To be inferiours 2. To be Children who onely have relation to Father and Mother as such for Children are such as have Father and Mother and Father and Mother are such as have Children who receive their life and being from God by them For they are both begotten and preserved by them Parents are in Gods place and his deputies and instruments and the benefit which we receive by them except they be unnaturall is such as cannot be requited It was Gods will to bring us into the world in this manner and to make us so much depend upon our Parents that we might see what great reason we have to
honour them And whosoever will not perform this duty must needs transgresse against the very light of nature and those principles which God hath imprinted in their Soules So that as Philo saith The offenders are guilty of impiety against God and inhumanity against man and stand liable before the Tribunal both of God and man and those that are undutifull to their Parents are usually prophane and irreligious towards God This duty in respect of Children is generall and binds them all and every one none can be exempted All and every one have Father and Mother too since Adam and Eve were created by God and not procreated by man Therefore Adam is called the Son of God Luke 3. 38. The conception of Jesus Christ and his birth were extraordinary for he had a Mother but no immediate Father therefore he may be excepted Yet it was said that he was subject unto them that is not onely to his Mother Mary but his Father by law Joseph to give example to all Children seeing he the Son of God subjected himself unto them This duty ariseth from the relation as the foundation thereof For by the manner of the receiving and continuing of their being they are inferiours depending upon Parents and under their power The partyes to whom the duty is to be performed are Father and Mother Father who begets them and Mother who conceives beares bring forth nurseth and taketh care of them in their helplesse age In this respect they have propriety superiority of power above them And lest Children should think it sufficient to be subject to their Father he adds and thy Mother For though the Mother be subject as a Wife to her Husband yet she is superiour to her Child as she is a Mother and may command and must in no wiâ—e be neglected or disobeyed The duty it self is expressed in the word Honour which is but single § V yet comprehends severall dutyes as Reverence to their persons in respect of their dignity subjection to their power obedience to their commands maintenance if they be in want and they able to relieve them and covering their infirmityes for maintenance is sometimes called honour and Shem and Japhet honoured their Father when in a modest manner they covered his nakednesse Reverence must be in the heart and expressed in their words their gestures and outward carriage towards them Subjection is a resigning of their own Wills and acknowledgement of their power and superiority and that they themselves are not Sui juris their own Masters but their duty till the time of emancipation is to serve Obedience is to do their just commands and must be regulated by their directions for they must hearken unto their instructions both for the matter to be done and the manner how it ought to be performed and they must execute it freely and with diligence for if it be not free and willing it s no obedience If Parents fall into want grow decrepit and faile not onely in strength but understanding and so cannot help themselves Reason it self much more the Word of God will dictate unto us that Children should not onely cover their infirmities and bear with their imperfections but also help succour relieve them and endeavour to recompence that tender love and kindnesse which their Parents shewed unto them when they were Children And this is to be done unto them with all due respects as unto Parents for in their lowest condition such they are and such they must be accounted And if all these dutyes be not performed how can Children be said to honour Father and Mother as here they are commanded to do And if Heathen Children be bound thus to honour their Parents and some of them by the light of nature have done it how much more are Christian Children of Christian Parents obliged to this duty which should be performed out of knowledge the love of God and Faith in Jesus Christ as a part of Christian obedience and thankfulnesse This is the duty commanded § VI The reward promised is That they may live long in the Land which the Lord their God had given them and that it might go well with them The reward is 1. An enjoyment of that good land God should give them 2. A long life 3. Prosperity and comfort This is said to be the first Commandement with promiâ—e It s the first Commandement and it hath a promise The second Table is called the Law Rom. 13. 8. 10. And all the Law Gal. 5. 14. That is all the Law which prescribes the duty of man to man It hath severall Commandemnents and this is the first of them and it hath a promise and so none of the rest following have It 's neither the first Commandement of the Decalogâ—e nor the first with promise But it 's the first of that Law which prescribeâ— our duty towards man and hath a promise annexed The end of this promâ—â—eâ— to encourage Children For though they are bound by the law of thankfulnesse unto it anâ— by the performance thereof cannot recompence the love and care of their Parâ—nts and they should be very unworthy if they should neglect it yet it was Gods superâ—bundant mercy to add the promise and the Apostle makes the use of it to move Children to obedience The land which the Lord their God should give them was the land of Canaan and therefore it had special reference to the Isralites yet so that all other dutifull Children of all nations have a right in it and especially Christians Why else should the Apostle take it up to move Christian Children to obedience Ephes. 6. 1 2 3. The enjoyment of our own native Country is opposed to captivity banishment dispossession disinheritance and a Vagabond life Long life to an unnatural or a violent death which takes away life even then when natural vigour continues and there be no internal causes of immediate dissolution A prosperous life is opposed to the cuâ—ses and miseryes which others suffer Yea all these mercyes are opposed to all those judgements as inflicted by God and suffered by wicked and undutifull Children for their neglect disobedience contempt and rebellion against their Parents These blessings promised are but temporall not spirituall and Eternal For those are acquired by Faith and derived from Christ and the promises in Christ in whom Christian Children receive not onely this temporal but a spiritual reward upon this obedience performed in Faith Neither doth this promise take effect in all dutifull Children so as that alwayes they enjoy this reward and be free from the like judâ—ements in generall which arâ— contrary to this reward For even dutifull Children many times suffer Captivity banishment untimely death and other miseryes but not for this sin of obedience whereof they are not guilty but for tryall and some other cause best known unto God who will recompence the want or losse of this reward with some far greater mercy There be extraordinary and reserved cases wherein good Children
congregation in particular From hence ariseth a relation of Pastour and People The Duty of the people is to esteem their Pastours and Teachers highly in love for their works sake 1 Thes. 5. 13. To obey them and submit unto them Obey them saith the Apostle who have rule over you and submit unto them for they watch over your Souls Heb. 13. 17. They must atttend unto their Doctrine and follow their good example Heb. 13. 7. They must maintain them and provide for them For Christ hath ordained that they who preach the Gospell should live of the Gospel 1 Cor. 9. 14. And let him that is taught in the Word communicate to him that teacheth in all his goods Gal. 6. 6. The Duty of Ministers and Pastours amongst others are these To be rightly qualified and also called to their places binding themselves to do Christ service in that Office They must plant and water preach catechize and edifie the people wholly in the saving Doctrine of the Gospel and though they cannot confirm their Doctrine by Miracles yet let them do it by good example They must administer the Sacraments according to Christ's institution pray for the People perform all publick services of Religion and do all things that tend to the conversion confirmation and Salvation of the People The Sins of the People § XIX as subject to their Pastours are many amongst the rest these They neglect and contemn their persons places doctrines reprooâ—s admonitions good example They deny them maintainance have itching ears affect novel opinions are carried away with strange Doctrine They prove schismaticall desert their faithfull Pastours vex them persecute them Ministers offend when not rightly qualified enter upon the place without a due call and in an undue manner when their end is gain not the good of the peoples souls when they neglect their calling or are carelesse or remisse in the discharge of the Ministery preach false or unprofitable Doctrine give bad example corrupt Religion are Authors of Schism Faction Rebellion and so disgrace their calling dishonour Christ and drive multitudes to Hell Many of these are ambitious and insolent domineering over men's Consciences Christians may associate for Discipline § XX and the outward Government of their Society and that in greater and lesser Associations and for this end declare and constitute Canons and Orders chuse and ordain Officers erect several Courts of Jurisdiction Spiritual In these Ecclesiastical States the Supream Power of the Keys or Church-Government is in the whole Combination the delegated Power is in their Officers and in their Representatives This Constitution finished the Superiours and Governours are the Officers and Representatives whereby the whole Church doth exercise her Power and every particular member whether Officer or any other is subject This Constitution should be agreeable to Christ's Institution and it 's no ways safe that the Association should be of too little or too great extent And most certain it is that Christ did never ordain that there should be one Universal Supream Court in any part of the World to which all Christian of all Nations should submit or make Appeals The Duty of the People and Members of this Spiritual Common-wealth and every particular Person Officer or any other is to submit to this Order once established according to the Laws and Rules of Christ obey the Canons acknowledge the Officers receive their Jurisdiction The Duty of the Governours is to consider whether the Constitution be according to the Gospel to have a special care to make good Canons and to constitute able prudent pious and sit Officers to inform the Ignorant reform the Scandalous reprove admonish suspend or excommunicate absolve and in such a manner that Doctrine and Discipline may be preserved pure the People reformed the Church edifyed and Christ glorified And the Civil Magistrate should countenance protect assist them so far as his Civil Power in this particular may be useful The Discipline is easily corrupted hardly reformed the Primitive and Apostolical Order little known And in this point many are our Divisions Men have their several conceits of it Every Party fancy their own way to be the Pattern in the Mount and few are impartial and unprejudiced and though a good Discipline may be proposed yet the greatest part cannot endure it Schools § XXI Colledges Vniversities are a kind of little Common-Wealth wherein we have Ordinem Imperii Subjectionis wherein the Governours have power the governed are subject according to their Charters and Statutes and as there be Duties so there are contrary Offences in both There be also Superiours and Inferiours in respect of excellency and age yet without any power Those who for Wisdom Parts Experience rare Exploits do excel others should according to their eminency benefit others and others should honour them Yet Pride is the usual sinne of the one and Envy of the other Age and the gray-head if accompanied with Wisdom and Vertue should be reverenced and it 's a bad sign of a declining State when the Child shall behave himself proudly against the Ancient and the Base against the Honourable Esa. 3. 5. CHAP. XII The Sixth Commandement GOD § I by the former Commandement determined the right of Persons and in this He begins to define man's right in things which He commands to be observed The first and principal thing which a man hath right unto is his life and therefore after the duty to be performed to our Parents by whom we receive life from Him he takes care and provides for the safety of man's person and the preservation of his life by prohibiting Murder This Commandement presupposeth that God alone according to his absolute propriety hath the absolute power to dispose of man's life and can take it away and that justly at will and pleasure and that no man can do without Warrant extraordinary or ordinary from him Man hath no absolute right to dispose of his own life whereof he hath onely the possession and use but not the propriety and therefore he must not so much as hazard it without Divine Warrant The subject therefore of this Commandement § II is this mortal and bodily life of man which we receive by Conception and Birth and part with by Death It consists in the union of Soul and Body which is not so firm since that sin entred into the World but that it easily may be dissolved For man consists of two parts Soul and Body The Soul in it self is incorruptible and immortal and no man can kill it though man and many things else may separate it from the Body and the Body from it Therefore in the profession of the Gospel we need not fear men who kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul Math. 10. 28. The malice and violence of man may make the Body an unfit Habitation for the Soul to dwell in and no fit Instrument for the Soul to act by and then the Soul no ways able to animate the
charge to suborne or corrupt Witnesses and delay the finall decision which also is the sin of both partyes sometimes And few men continue charitable whilst they contend in law The many sins of the parties litigant are so well known that I need not give any further account of them As for Sollicitours and Atturneys § VI they must be skilfull allowed diligent faithfull perswading to peace and if that cannot be to be as carefull of their Clients cause as of their own Yet so as to do nothing against a good conscience and the rules of Christianity Their profession is lawfull and good but the design of many of them is to gaine and out of covetousnesse to enrich themselves Their end is not peace and justice They encourage men in their litigious suits perswade them of the justice and good issue of their cause and will undertake it though never so unjust They disswade men from agreement comply one with another to bring grift unto the Lawyers mill delay Judgement protract Suits give advantage to their Client's adversary either ignorantly or negligently or perfidiously They make large accounts exact immoderate fees and pick poor mens purses and so prove not onely Theeves against the former Commandement but enemyes to just Judgement against this The duty of Witnesses is to remember § VII and seriously consider their Oath and accordingly clearly and fully to declare the truth and all the truth they certainly know in that cause wherein they are produced And this must be done without any partiality or respect to any person with a desire to make way for and promote righteous Judgement Such as are willing to be suborned or corrupted and are ready contrary to their Oath and the true end of all judiciall testimonyes to testifie that which they know not or know not certainly or that which they know to be false or conceal any of their knowledge or use doubtfull expressions or equivocations or mentall reservations or contradict themselves or any wayes obscure the cause out of covetousnesse or fear or favour or hatred or any other inordinate passion and affection these directly transgresse against the expresse Words of the Commandement And further let every one know that as he is forbidden here to be a false Witnesse so he is commanded to testifie the truth certainly known unto him in any cause when he is called thereunto and the case of his Neighbour shall require it Nay in some cases we must willingly offer our selves when we understand that by our true and faithfull testimony we may prevent in justice either in clearing and righting the innocent or punishing the guilty The duty of Counsellours in Law § VIII and Advocates who ought to be skilfull in the Law so far as their place requires or else not to undertake the profession is to perswade men to peace if that cannot be done or be not expedient to take full and perfect information before either they give Counsail or undertake the cause If they find it to be unjust they must refuse to meddle in it or manage it They must give good and faithfull Counsail plead wisely justly effectually in a good cause be content with moderate fees remember the condition of poor Clients be faithfull do what they can to bring the matter to a due tryall and with as much expedition as conveniently may be The sins of these are many if they be corrupt or covetous Some take upon them the profession and practise in it though they have no sufficient skil They will undertake any cause though never so unjust their end is gaine not justice their God is their gold They give bad Counsell encourage the Clients to go on in an unjust cause or in such a matter as it 's more then probable they shall be cast if justice take effect They will plead against justice obscure a plaine truth puzzle and daunt a timerous witnesse are senslesse of their Clients condition perfidious will plead vehemently against justice and do what they can to pervert judgement will not use all diligence to promote justice In our judicial proceedings § IX according to the constitution of our government we have Juries or Jurors so called because they are sworn before they can act and in that respect also they are called Sacramentales These are either Delatory or Judiciall Delatory are for information and their businesse is to enquire after Delinquents and to certifie their names and their offences And they are either superiour or inferiour Superiours for a whole County at Assises or Sessions of the peace and this Jury is called the Grand-Inquest Inferiour are such as present and indite in inferiour Courts Judiciall are such as for the substance of the cause determine it for matter of fact before the Judges give the sentence for Law Their judgment is called a Veredict And these according to the causes are such as give their Veredict in civil or Criminal and capitall causes In civil causes belonging to the Common pleas the Judge between subject and subject in criminall betwixt King and subject And because some criminal causes are capiâ—al therefore such as are empaâ—eld and sworn for these are called the Jury for life and death All this makes it evident that amongst us judgement depends much upon these Jurours Their duty in this respect is that according to law they be Boni et legales homines and no wayes chargeable with such crimes as they accuse or judge which words according to the first institution did reach further then we ordinarily conceive It was the wisdome of our Ancestours to appoint these Juryes that every one might be judged per Pares by his Peers and such as were likely to know men best and their quality causes and offences The intention was the preservation ofliberty to prevent the impunity of offenders and to do every one righâ— These must be men of understanding and integrity and must endeavour to be fully informed make just and impartiall presentments and give just and impartiall Verdicts Yet many of these are either unskilfull or unconscionable pact up of such persons as are for the person not the cause wranglers rash carelesse or soul corrupt and so are a great cause why innocent persons are condemned or 〈◊〉 in their cause and the guilty and sometimes such as are polluted with blood are acquitted In judgement also we have Notaries § X and also such as are trusted with the execution The Notaries and keepers of records have their duty prescribed in this Commandement and as they ought to be just and understanding men fitly qualified for their places so they should faithfully and truly record all proceedings from first to last and carefully and safely keep the records They must not be carelesse and negligent much lesse false in altering omitting or falsifying any thing nor unfaithfull in embezeling or making away any thing trusted in their custody Sheriâ—s Bailiffs Pursevants Constables or any imployed in execution must be carefull to give true
For when He was asked Which is the greatest Commandement He answered Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart with all thy soul and with all thy mind This is the first and great Commandement And the Second is like to this Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self To love our Neighbour as our selves is the last Commandement as shall appear anon These two are the Epitome of the whole Law and virtually contain all the Precepts of it The first All of the first Table the last All of the Second Table Therefore they are general Commandements the one of the first part of the Law this other of the Second For after that God had in the four first Precepts of the Second Table determined the right of persons and things out of judgment and in the Ninth given a Rule of judgment In this last He prescribes a general Duty which is the measure and Rule of the rest both out of Judgment and also in Judgment This Commandement is Negative wherein we must consider 1. The Act 2. The Object That so we may understand what the Sin prohibited is The Act is to covet the Object something that is our Neighbours To covet is to desire It presupposeth some knowledge at least of apprehension of the thing desired as good and in some respect good to us It 's an Act of the Will and presupposeth the good desired as absent and not possessed or enjoyed and there are degrees of this Act according as we conceive the good desired less or greater That which is best if we be rightly informed is to be desired most and other things in a certain order and measure as they are nearer unto or further distant from the greatest good We may mistake and conceive many things to be better then they are and so deceive our selves and desire that which is not good at all or that which is least good as though it were the greatest So most men are deluded when they covet Earthly Things more then Heavenly and imagine that in them there is a vertue and power to make them happy and so we prefer the World and love it more then God This is a sin against the first Commandement and it's Idolatry Thus ambitious covetous voluptuous men do We covet things as good to us that we may have them and enjoy them and this coveting may be upon a simple apprehension and before a deliberate consent or it may follow it and then the Soul begins to move and use means to compass it Yet Coveting in it self § II is indifferent neither good nor bad Some things may some things must be coveted some things must not Therefore we must know in what respect Coveting is here forbidden when it 's said Thou shalt not covet and what the things are which we cannot lawfully desire to be our own and that is easily understood by the Object the second thing here determined by God The things not to be coveted are here expressed 1. By a particular Enumeration 2. By a general and comprehensive Term. In this particular Enumeration we have House Wife Man-servant Maid-servant Ox Ass Field Deut. 5. 21. Some reduce this to Utile and Jucundum things pleasant or unprofitable The general and comprehensive Word is ANY THING Thou shalt not covet any thing This was added to include all things and to leave nothing excluded Yet these things may be considered materially and so Wife House Field Cattle may be desired or formally as our Neighbours and so we must not covet them We must not covet his House his Wife his Field c. nor any thing that is his that is our Neighbours That which is not ours but his both by the Laws of God and Men must not be the Object of our Desires We may like them but not covet them as his For if we do it 's an evident sign that we love our Selves too much our Neighbour too little Nay we love his and not him or his more than him And this is a want of that love God requireth He requires a love of his Person as of our Selves it forbids a love of his So this Commandement was given to regulate the very motions of the Heart with the Affections and Inclinations of it in respect of our Neighbour This is the plain and genuine sense of the words § IV which inform us of many things 1. That the Law of God prescribing the Duty of Man to Man doth reach the Heart binds the Conscience and requires a conformity and obedience in the Inner-man 2. That God in Judgment will take Cognizance not onely of men's words and actions but of the motions inclinations and dispositions of the Soul 3. That both God's Laws and also his Judgments are far above the Laws and Judgments of men 4. That this Commandement is the Rule and Measure of the five former Commandements according to which we must understand them 5. It reacheth them all and is the principal and they the conclusions which derive their Morality from it so that in obeying it or disobeying it we obey or disobey the rest Therefore sayes the Apostle It 's the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13. 10. And all the Law that is which requires the Duty of Man unto Man is fulfilled in one word Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self Gal. 5. 14. 6. That whatsoever Duty we perform to Man is not agreeable to the Will of God if it be not done out of love to our Neighbour as our love to our Neighbour is not regular if it issue not from and be subordinate to the love of God 7. That this with the first of the First Table do more clearly discover Original Corruption and the Root of all Sin in us than any of the rest 8. That if we could perfectly obey these two as we never shall in this life we might perfectly obey all the other and might pluck up by the very Roots all other sins 9. That by this we easily understand what necessity we have of Christ and his sanctifying Spirit without both which we can neither hope for remission of sin past or power to avoid sin and transgressions of this Law for time to come For if our hearts be not renewed they will be ever coveting and coveting will be a continual Spring of dishonour of Superiours Murder Adultery Theft False-Witness as our Saviour teacheth us For out of the Heart proceed evil Thoughts Murthers Adulteries Fornications Thefts False-Witness Blasphemies Math. 15. 19. Wars and Fightings are from our Lusts Jam. 4. 1. Achan covets and commits Sacriledge Ahab covets and commits Murder Therefore we must not covet In these words is forbidden all discontentedness with that Estate God hath given us § V â—o as to be any cause or occasion of coveting that which is our Neighbours All Envy likewise must be a sin against this Law but Hatred and Malice in general and Contempt are directly contrary to it In a word the want of Love
Gen. 18. 25. Where he acknowledgeth 1. His Universall jurisdiction He is Judge of all the World 2. His absolute justice Shall He not do right That is certainly he Shall 6. His power is Almighty and as he can easily summon all before his judgment Seat even the greatest so he can execute his judgments to the full whether in punishments or rewards So that this Judgment is free from all the imperfections of humane Courts whether civil or Ecclesiasticall This judgment differs from that which he pass'd upon Men and Angels at the first For it hath another rule and conâ—iders the persons to be judged and their works under another notion and the Judge also is God as Redeemer The obedience or disobedience which are the proper formall object of this judgment are to be measured by the Laws of Redemption The one is faith the other unbelief And these things must seriously be considered lest we confound the several jurisdictions of this supreme Lord. â— This judgment is two-fold § II 1. Particular 2. Universal and final By Particular I meane the judgment of God passed and executed before the Resurrection By Universall that which follows when God shall keep his last and generall Assises And both these shall be considered 1. In the Punishments 2. In the Rewards To begin with the Punishments of the Particular judgment and they are either such as are determined and inflicted upon Collective bodyes or upon Single persons and they are either temporall or spirituall In the discovery of these punishments as likewise of the rewards I might take a Chronological method beginning with the first times of the World after the promise of Christ was made and â—o go through the Scriptures beginning with Gen. 4. and go on unto the end of the Revelation For even in the dayes of Adam God began to open his Court and set himself in the Throne of Justice and shall continue without any vacation or intermission unto the Resurrection Universal And here I might make use of humane Historyes which if true and wisely composed will manifest much of Gods just Judgments which take up a great part of those Voluâ—s But this to do would make these Divine Politicks and brief Treatise swell unto a Vast Volume Yet if any man of ability would single out this subject and enlarge upon it he might thereby much honour God and do great service unto Man There is another method might be taken and the same very usefuâ—l and that is to reduce the severall judgments to their proper places in the Laws of God Redeemer For as some sins are generall against all the Laws of God Some against the Morals Some against the Positives Some against some of the Moral precepts joyntly considered Some against the severall and particular precepts accordingly the punishments might be ranked and the same order might be observed in the rewards But lest we should confound the judgments of the two severall Governments amongst others two rules may be observed whereby we may difference them and this difference once known I may go on without interruption The 1. Rule is from the judgments themselves The 2. From the Laws and works disagreeable to these Laws 1. The judgments which fall and lye upon all mankind indefinitely as Mortality the curse of the earth ejection out of Paradise the perill and paine of Women in bearing and bringing forth Children and the paenal subjection of them unto their Husbands For these are common to all both believers and unbelievers and are inflicted upon all mankind without exception for the first sin Yet because some of these or some part of them may be in some measure removeable or abateable and yet continue they may become penaltyes inflicted by God Redeemer 2. The Lawes of God Creatour require perfect obedience not onely in all things and degrees but in all times and say thus Do this and live and if thou do not this thus thou must dye and there is no remedy but this Law if it be maâ—e the rule oâ—â—udgment as God might have made it The Law of God Redemeer saith Though thou hast sinned and dost sin yet if thou return by the power of my grace and believe thou shalt live and not dye Though thou art guilty and liable to punishment and the same lye upon thee in part yet upon these conditions the penalty may be removed or prevented Some of the sins forbidden in the Law of work are the same materially with those forbidden in the Gospel and so are some of the dutyes yet they differ formally if we speak after the manner of the Schools This you have heard before For any sâ—n after it once put on the notion of impenitency by delay and neglect to return it presently begins to be a sin against the Gospel And such are all sins committed after the first promise of Christ. Such was the Murder of Cain the corruption of the old world the filthinesse of Sodome and all the rest mentioned in the book of God from Gen. 4. to the end So that all the penaltyes as that of Cain the old World the Builders of Babel and the rest were penaltyes as threatned by so inflicted for the sins against God Redeemer All this is evident from the books of Moses and all the Prophets which speak to men as sinfull promise Christ forbid impenitency Preach and urge repentance and make all penaltyes removeable upon that condition which could not have been done if sin and penaltyes had been looked upon according to the Law of works Therefore it 's in vain to argue that because as the Law of Works commanded love to God love to Neighbour did forbid Idolatry Perjury Mâ—rder Theft c did threaten death and punishment for these sins so the Gospel commands the same dutyes forbids the very same things threatneth the same penaltyes and promiseth life that therefore the Law of works continueth especially the Morall Law For the precepts prohibitions promises threats of the Law of works and the Law of grace come under different notions For an instance we may amongst many places single out this one Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God and he will abundantly pardon Esa. 55. 7. The Law of works saith Be not Wicked Sin not at all The Law of Grace saith Though thou hast sinned and art wicked yet forsake thy wicked way and return unto the Lord against whom thou hast sinned The Law of Works saith Thou hast sinned and must dye I have no promise of life or Pardon for thee The Law of Grace saith though thou by thy sin hast deserved to dye yet upon condition of repentance and return thou shalt be Pardoned and live I touch more often upon this point and here stand more largely upon it because some will take no notice of it others who are sufficiently informed are hardly perswaded of this