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behave yourselves towards them in the most respectful and dutiful manner; and fpeak of them with all poffible honour and reverence. But fome think by bonouring our parents is meant providing for their comfortable fupport, when advanced in life, and incapable of fubfifting themfelves: this, however, is moft certainly included in the phrafe. "Make the "latter part of their days as easy and happy to them as you can."

The duties thus enjoined on children to their parents the apoftle enforces by various confiderations.

The firft he mentions is their fitnefs. "Obey your "parents in the Lord: for this is right." It is just, (dixasov), it is fit and reasonable in itself, what the light of nature teaches, and all nations and ages have acknowledged to be expedient. It is moft decent and becoming to obey and reverence thofe, to whom under God we are indebted for our exiftence. It is on the grounds of equity and gratitude moft naturally to be expected, that we should make every return in our power to those who have fhewn us all imaginable care and kindness. And a due regard to their inftructions and authority, will in its confequences be greatly beneficial to us; as they are far better able on many accounts to direct and govern us, especially in our minority, than we are ourselves:

The next argument is taken from the exprefs will of God, fignified in the fifth commandment. This is one of those precepts of the moral law which the great God fo folemnly pronounced on Mount Sinai, and which he writ with his own finger on the tables of ftone. With an audible voice he faid, Honour thy father and thy mother, and it is his pleasure that that

voice should be heard through all the world, and to the end of time. Wherefore, children are to obey their parents in the Lord, that is, in obedience to the authority of the great God.

Here the apoftle, as he paffes on, obferves, that this is the first commandment, with promife. From hence the church of Rome would infinuate, that the second commandment, which is fo directly oppofed to their doctrine and practice of worshipping images, is not obligatory under the gofpel." For, fay they, that commandment hath a promise annexed to it; but the apostle tells us, this is the first with promife: wherefore he hereby plainly annihilates that." But the reply is extremely natural. The promise added to the fecond commandment, (which indeed is rather an affertion than a promise) is no other than a general declaration of God's merciful difpofition to all who love him and keep his commandments, and evidently relates to the whole law. Whereas the precept of which the apostle is here speaking, is the first and only one that hath a promise annexed to it, peculiar to itfelf. It should here alfo be obferved, that the language of the text establishes the authority of the decalogue or moral law, with refpect to us Chriftians as well as the Jews, teaching us not only that we fhould make it the rule of our lives, but that we may and ought to be influenced in our obedience, by a regard to the bleffings it promises. And in respect to the precept before us, the apoftle evidently meant by styling it, the first commandment with promife, to draw an argument from thence, to perfuade children to a dutiful behaviour towards their parents. This, as if he had faid, is a duty of the greatest confequence, the ground-work

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ground-work of all other focial duties, and therefore diflinguished from the reft by a particular mark of the divine favour.

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And what is the promife, thus held up to the view of children? It is this-" Honour thy father and mo"ther, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayeft "live long on the earth." In Exodus it is expreffed fomewhat differently, "that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth "thee *." And in Deuteronomy thus, "that thy "days may be prolonged, and that it may go well "with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God gi"veth theet." The fenfe, however, is fully conveyed in the text, excepting the promised land's not being particularly mentioned. This omiffion, fome fuppofe, was owing to a wish, to preclude all occafion of countenancing a vain confidence, which at that time prevailed much among the Jews, that they fhould not be difpoffeffed of their country t. But as this epiftle was written to the Ephefian church, which confifted of Gentile as well as Jewish converts, it fhould rather feem the omiffion, which does not affect the fpirit of the promise, was with a view to accommodate it to Chrißians in general. Now the plain import of it is this, that those who, in obedience to the divine authority, pay due refpect to their parents, will be likely to enjoy worldly profperity and long life. I fay, likely, becaufe the promife is fo worded as to convey an idea of the direct tendency of dutifulness in children, to promote their temporal welfare, which we shall largely fhew hereafter is the cafe. But. confidered as a pofitive promife, it was remarkably fulfilled in regard of

*Exod. xx. 12. † Deut. v. 16.

See Whitby in loc.

of the Jews. And, however temporal rewards and punishments are not now difpenfed in the manner they were among that people, who fubfifted under a peculiar form of government, yet there are not a few instances of dutiful children, who have been diftinguifhed by the fmiles of Providence; and it is true of them all, in regard of their best interests, that acting thus in the fear of God, it is well with them in this life, and shall be well with them for ever in the life to come. Thus the apoftle enforces this great duty by the law of nature, the exprefs command of God, and the many advantages that attend the right difcharge of it. The text thus explained, we proceed more particularly to confider,

FIRST, The various offices required of children to. wards their parents, and,

SECONDLY, Their obligations to thefe duties.

FIRST, As to the duties which children owe to their parents.

These we shall clafs under the three heads of Obedience-Reverence-and Support. Obedience I mention first, because the main expreffions of it, especially in the abfolute and unlimited fenfe of the word, are required of children in the early part of life: Reverence next, because that ripens and improves with reafon and Support laft of all, because the tender offices meant by this term, are to be rendered parents in the decline of life, and are, with good reafon, underfood to be included, as was obferved juft now, in the word. honour.

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I. Obedience. The duties comprehended in this idea, we shall confider in reference to matters-civil

-and

and religious, keeping in our eye, as we pafs on, the different ages, capacities, and circumflances of

children.

1. As to civil matters.

In this defcription, we include what relates to food, drefs, company, amufements, deportment, learning, difcipline, and every thing elfe which the morals of children are converfant about. The will of the parent, in regard of all thefe matters, under the restrictions which will be hereafter mentioned, should be dutifully complied with.

In the earliest stage of life, obedience is the refult of instinct not reasoning. Caft, as infants are, in this helpless ftate upon the care of others, they are under a neceffity of fubmitting. But when they begin to acquire ftrength, and to become capable of refifting, they should, upon the general idea of filial duty, obey. For though they may not be able, clearly to comprehend the fitness of what is required of them, they may yet have fenfe enough to perceive, that the age, authority, and affection of their parents, give them a right to demand fubmiffion and obedience. And for children poffeffing this idea, to dispute the point with them, in any matter infifted on, is to offend against the decifion of their own reafon. Their reafon teaching

them fubmiffion, their language no doubt fhould be, "My father knows better than I, what is right to be done in this cafe, and therefore I ought to comply; I will comply."

Hence, if we may be allowed to digrefs a moment, appears the importance of taking pains with children, at this early age, to imprefs their minds with the general obligations of filial obedience. Parents fhould

now

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