How

owes to God his heavenly Father; yet when Sunday 'tis thus neceffary to refufe Obedience, he XIV. fhould take care to do it in fuch a modeft. and refpectful manner, that it may appear 'tis Confcience only, and not Stubbornness, moves him to it. But in cafe of all Lawful Commands, that is, when the thing commanded is either good, or not evil, when it hath nothing in it contrary to our Duty to God, there the Child is bound to obey, be the Command in a weightier or lighter matter. little this Duty is regarded, is too manifeft every-where in the World, where Parents generally have their Children no longer under Command, than they are under the Rod; when they are once grown up, they think themselves free from all Obedience to them ; or if fome do continue to pay it, yet let the Motive of it be examin'd, and 'twill in too many be found only Worldly Prudence. They fear to difplease their Parents, left they fhould fhorten their Hand towards them, and fo they fhall lofe fomewhat by it; but how few are there that obey, purely upon Confcience of Duty? This Sin of Difobedience to Parents, was, by the Law of Mofes, punishable with Death, as you may read, with_Death, Deut. xxi. 18. But if Parents now-a-days Thould proceed fo with their Children, many might foon make themselves Childless.

.

14. But of all the Acts of Difobedience, that Especially of Marrying against the Confent of the Parent, in their

Marriage.

Sunday is one of the higheft. Children are fo much XIV. the Goods, the Poffeffions of their Parents,

Miniftring

to their Wants.

that they cannot, without a kind of Theft, give away themselves without the allowance of thofe that have the Right in them; and therefore we fee, under the Law, the Maid that had made any Vow, was not Juffered to perform it, without the Confent of the Parent, Numb. xxx. 5. The Right of the Parent was thought of Force enough to cancel and make void the Obligation even of a Vow; and therefore, furely, it ought to be so much confider'd by us, as to keep us from making any fuch, whereby that Right is infringed.

15. A Fourth Duty to the Parent, is, to affift and minifter to them in all their Wants, of what kind foever, whether Weakness and Sickness of Body, Decayedness of Underftanding, or Poverty and Lowness in Eftate; in all these the Child is bound, according to his Ability, to relieve and affift them. For the Two former, Weakness of Body, and Infirmity of Mind, none can doubt of the Duty, when they remember how every Child did in his Infancy receive the very fame Benefit from the Parents; the Child had then no Strength to fupport, no Understanding to guide itself; the Care of the Parents was fain to fupply both these to it; and therefore, in common Gratitude, whenever either of these becomes the Parents Cafe, as fometimes by great Age, or

fome

fome Accident, both do, the Child is to per- Sunday form the fame Offices back again to them. XIV. As for that of Relieving their Poverty, there is the very fame Obligation to that with the former; it being but juft to fuftain thy Parent who has formerly fuftained thee: But befides this, Chrift himself teacheth us, that this is contained within the Precept of Honouring their Parents; for when, Mark vii. 13. he accufes the Pharifees of rejecting the Commandment of God, to cleave to their own Traditions, he inftances in this Particular concerning the Relieving of Parents; whereby 'tis manifeft, that this is a part of that Duty which is enjoin'd in the Fifth Commandment, as you may fee at large in the Text; and fuch a Duty it is, that no pretence can abfolve or acquit us of it. How then shall those answer it, that deny Relief to their poor Parents? that cannot part with their own Exceffes and Superfluities, which are indeed their Sins, to satisfie the Neceffities of those to whom they owe their Being? Nay, fome there are yet worse, who, out of Pride, fcorn to own their Parents in their Poverty: Thus it often happens, when the Child is advanced to Dignity or Wealth, they think it a Difparagement to them to look on their Parents that remain in a low Condition: it being the betraying, as they think, to the World the Meannefs of their Birth; and fo the poor Parent fares the worfe for the Profperity of

Sunday his Child. This is fuch a Pride and Unna XIV. turalness together, as will furely find a sharp Vengeance from God; for if Solomon ob ferve of Pride alone, that it is the fore-runner of Deftruction, Prov. xvi. 18. we may much rather conclude fo of it, when it is thus accompanied.

Dues to be

16. To this that hath been faid of the Duty paid even of Children to their Parents, I fhall add only 10 the wor this, That no Unkindness, no Fault of the work of Parents Parent, can acquit the Child of this Duty: But, as St. Peter tells Servants, 1 Pet. ii. 18. That they must be fubject not only to the good and gentle Mafters, but also to the froward; fo certainly, it belongs to Children to perform Duty, not only to the Kind and Vertuous, but even to the Harfheft and Wickedeft Parent. For though the Gratitude due to a kind Pa rent, be a very forcible Motive to make the Child pay his Duty, yet that is not the only nor chiefeft Ground of it; that is laid in the Command of God, who requires us thus to Honour our Parents; and therefore, though we should suppose a Parent fo unnatural, as never to have done any thing to oblige the Child, (which can hardly be imagin'd) yet ftill the Command of God continues in force, and we are in Confcience of that, to perform that Duty to our Parents, tho' none of the other Tye of Gratitude fhall lie on us.

Duty of

But as this is due from the Child to the Children. Parents; fo, on the other fide, there are other

Parents to

thing alfo due from the Parents to the Child, Sunday and that throughout the feveral States and XIV. Ages of it.. 10 hou

18, Finft, There is the Care of Nourishing To nouri and Suftaining it which begins from the them. very Birth, and continues a Duty from the Parent, till the Child be able to perform it to himself; this is a Duty which Nature teaches even the Savage Beafts have a great Care and Tenderness in nourishing their Young; and therefore, may ferve to reproach and condenin all Parents, who shall be fa unnatural as to neglect this. I fhall not here enter into the Queftion, Whether the Mother is obliged to give the Child its firft Nourishment, by giving it Suck herfelf? Becaufe twill not be poffible to affirm univerfally sins the Cafe, there being many Circumftances which may alter it, and make it not only lawful, but beft not to do it: All I fhall fay, is, That where no Impediment of Sickness, Weakness, or the like, does happen, 'tis furely beft for the Mother herfelf to perform this Office, there being many Advantages to the Child by it, which a good Mother ought fo far to confider, as not to fell them to her own Sloth, or Nicenefs, or any fuch unworthy Motive; for where fuch only are the Grounds of forbearing it, they will never be able to juftifie the Omiffion, they being themselves unjustifiable. :

But befides this firft Care, which belongs

to the Body of the Child, there is another, which

X