3. To pray for them when they are born, and to plead the promise of the covenant for them, taking God as their God, and the God of their seed, according to his promise-"I will be your God, and the God of your seed;" and, "The promise is to you and to your children."

4. To take all possible care of them by day and by night, in their helpless state, that they may show their regard for the gifts of God.-Isa. xlix. 15.

5. To make suitable provision for them when their reason and understanding begin to appear, and while they are immediately under their care.-1 Tim. v. 8.

6. To maintain that authority over them which God has given them.

7. To correct and reprove them when necessary.—Prov. xxix. 15, xix. 18, and xxiii. 13, 14. This ought to be done in love; and the child should be informed of the reason of his being corrected, for if he is not, he cannot be the subject of correction.

8. To bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.-Prov. xxii. 6; 2 Tim. iii. 15; Prov. i. 8, and iv. 3, 4; Deut. vi. 6, 7. They who neglect this neither love God nor their children.

9. To pray with them and for them.-Job i. 5. They who live without family prayer, live without God in the world, and live like the beasts that perish.

10. To set before them a good example.-Ps. ci. 2.

11. To act impartially towards them, and not show more kindness to one than to another.

12. To lay no command upon them, but what they may obey without sinning against God.-Acts iv. 19.

13. To take good heed that they be no dishonour to their children.

14. To place them, at a proper age, in some lawful employment.-Gen. iv. 2.

15. To dispose of them seasonably in marriage, suited to their temper, station, and consent; and their temporal, but especially their spiritual and eternal welfare.-Ruth iii. 1; Gen. xxiv. and xxviii.

16. To make such an arrangement and settlement of their temporal affairs in their favour in due time, as shall prevent all contention and alienation of affection among them.-Isa. xxxviii. 1.

17. When dying, to charge them solemnly, and to encourage them to fear the Lord, to bless them, and to commend them into the hand of a covenant God.-Gen. xlix. 1, &c.; Jer. xlix. 11. The duties of children to their parents are these:

1. To love them.-Gen. xlvi. 29.

2. To fear them.-Lev. xix. 3; 1 Kings ii. 20; Prov. xxxi. 28. 3. To obey them.-Eph. vi. 1, 4; Gen. xxxvii. 13; Luke ii. 51.

4. To be impressed with a sense of their inferiority to their parents.-1 Kings ii. 19; Deut. xxvii. 16; Gen. xxxi. 35.

5. To hearken to their counsel and advice.-Prov. i. 8, and iv. 1. And this should be the case both in temporal and spiritual concerns.-Gen. xxvii. 46, and xxviii. 1, 2.

6. To conceal their infirmities, and to bear with them.-Gen. ix. 22, &c.; Prov. xxiii. 22.

7. To supply their wants to the utmost of their power, when they are old and stand in need of it. 1 Tim. v. 4; Gen. xlvii. 12; John xix. 27; Matt. xv. 4, &c.

8. To pray for them.

9. To show respect for them after their death.

Obs. 239.-The Fifth Commandment requireth the performance of the various duties which masters and servants owe to one another.

The duties of masters to their servants are these:

1. To be careful whom they hire, lest they bring the curse of God into their family with a wicked servant.-Ps. ci. 6; Gen. xxxix. 3, 4.

2. To consider carefully the abilities of their servants, and to proportion their work accordingly.

3. To give them proper directions for the work assigned them. -Prov. xxxi. 27.

4. To assign them proper maintenance and wages for their work.—Prov. xxvii. 27; James v. 4; Deut. xxiv. 14, &c.

5. To keep them in their proper station with respect to familiarity and power, and such like things.-Prov. xxix. 21.

6. To treat them with gentleness, and to be ready to hear what they say in excuse for their conduct.-Eph. vi. 9; Job xxxi. 13.

7. Not to hearken willingly to evil reports respecting their servants.-Ps. xv. 3; Prov. xxix. 12.

8. To take care of them when sick and infirm.-Matt. viii. 6; 1 Sam. xxx. 11, &c.

9. To be particularly kind to those who are remarkably faithful and diligent.-Prov. xiv. 35; Deut. xv. 12, &c.

10. To be anxious to train them up in the fear of the Lord.— Gen. xviii. 19; Josh. xxiv. 15; Ps. ci.

11. To allow them sufficient time for the secret and public exercises of religion.

The duties of servants to their masters are these:

1. To hire themselves, if possible, with such as fear the Lord. 2. To esteem, and reverence, and honour their masters, both internally and externally.-1 Pet. ii. 18; 1 Tim. vi. 1, &c.; Eph.

vi. 5.

3. To maintain the honour of the family carefully and conscientiously. Gen. xxiv. 34, &c., and xxxix. 8, 9.

T

4. To adhere strictly to their own allotted provision, and wages, and rest. Gen. xxx. 33; Prov. xxxi. 15.

5. To submit with meekness to rebukes and corrections.Tit. ii. 9; 1 Pet. ii. 18; Gen. xvi. 9.

6. To perform the business or work assigned them conscieptiously, honestly, cheerfully, singly, faithfully, readily, and diligently.-Tit. ii. 9, 10; Matt. xxiv. 45, 46; Gen. xxxi. 38; Col. iii. 22-24; Prov. xviii. 9; Gen. xxxi. 6; Prov. xxii. 29; Rom. xii. 11.

7. To attend conscientiously to family worship, and to receive with readiness such family instructions as may be tendered to them.-Prov. iv. 7.

Obs. 240.-The Fifth Commandment requireth the performance of the various duties which ministers and people owe to one another.

The duties of ministers to their people are these:

1. To provide a proper stock of knowledge for their work.2 Cor. iv. 13. There should be an experience of what is said in the beginning of 1 John i.

2. Not to enter among a people, unless properly called.-Rom. x. 15; 1 Pet. v. 3; Jer. xxiii. 21, &c.

3. To acquaint themselves with the state of their people, that they may regulate their ministrations accordingly.-Phil. ii. 19, 20.

4. To exercise the most tender love and care for their souls.1 Thess. ii. 7, 8.

5. To administer divine ordinances among them faithfully, impartially, and diligently, in a manner answerable to their condition, without respect of persons.-Gal. vi. 6; 2 Tim. iv. 2.

6. To watch over their behaviour for the good of their souls.— Lev. xix. 17; Ezek. iii. 17, &c., and xxxiii. 7, &c.

7. To pray for them habitually and fervently.-Eph. i. 15, &c., and iii. 14, &c.

8. To set before them a holy and shining example of divine truth in their Christian practice.-Heb. xiii. 7; Tit. ii. 7; 1 Tim. iv. 12; 1 Thess. ii. 1-10.

The duties of people to their ministers are these

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1. To reverence them highly as the ambassadors of Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords.-1 Cor. iv. 1.

2. To love them highly for their work's sake.-1 Thess. v. 12, 13; Gal. iv. 14.

3. To pray for them fervently and habitually.-Rom. xv. 30, 31; Eph. vi. 19, 20; 1 Thess. v. 25.

4. To attend diligently to the means of grace as dispensed by them.-Heb. x. 25; Luke x. 16.

5. To submit to them, as Christ's deputies, in warnings, reproofs, and censures, &c.-Heb. xiii. 17; Gal. vi. 1; Matt. xviii. 15, &c.; 2 Tim. iv. 2.

6. To beware of taking up an ill report concerning them, without scriptural evidence.-1 Tim. v. 19.

7. To render them comfortable, with respect to maintenance and support.-1 Tim. v. 18; 1 Cor. ix. 13, &c.; Gal. vi. 6; 1 Cor. ix. 11.

Obs. 241.-The Fifth Commandment requireth the performance of the various duties which magistrates and subjects owe to one another.

The duties of magistrates to their subjects are these:—

1. To establish good and just laws, and to see them faithfully executed.-Zech. viii. 16; 2 Chron. xix. 5, &c.; Ps. lxxii. and lxxxii.

2. To govern their subjects with wisdom, equity, and affection. -2 Chron. i. 10; Prov. xviii. 5, xxv. 5, and xxix. 2, 4, 14.

3. To protect them in their just privileges and rights, both temporal and spiritual, which have been conferred on them by God. 1 Tim. ii. 2.

4. To punish evil doers, and to encourage them that do well.Rom. xiii.; Deut. i. 16, &c.

5. To promote the interests of true religion by their good example.-Isa. xlix. 23.

The duties of subjects to magistrates are these:

1. To respect them as the deputies and ordinance of God.Rom. xiii.; 1 Pet. ii. 13, 17; 1 Sam. xxvi. 16, 17.

2. To put a charitable construction on their conduct, so far as it will bear, in consistency with the honour of God.-Exod. xxii. 28; Eccl. x. 20; 2 Pet. ii. 9, 10.

3. To be subject to their just laws.-Rom. xiii. 1, &c.; iii. 1, 2.

Tit.

4. To pay tribute or just taxes cheerfully.-Rom. xiii. 6; Luke xx. 25; Matt. xvii. 25, &c.

5. To defend them from their enemies.-1 Sam. xxvi. 15; 2 Sam. xviii. 3.

6. To pray for them frequently and fervently.-1 Tim. ii. 1, 2. 7. To endeavour carefully to live under their government as an honour, a comfort, and a blessing, both to them and to others.

INFERENCES.

From this subject we learn,-1. That we ought to be content with our lot, and resigned to the will of God, who assigns to all their station in this world. 2. The various duties which belong to superiors, inferiors, and equals; and the dispositions which Christians ought to exercise towards one another. 3. The danger of hatred in husband or wife; the direful consequences of it; and that all have cause to mourn over their sins in this relation. 4. The importance of the charge committed to parents, and that they cannot divest themselves of this charge; that the command

of God, and the vows which they have vowed, are upon them; that the consequences of doing or of not doing their duty, are of the utmost importance; that parents may be the means of saving or of damning the souls of their children; and that parents and children shall at last meet before the judgment-seat of Christ, either to acquit or to condemn one another. 5. That it is the duty of children to reverence and obey their parents; that disobedience to parents is a great sin, and deserves the judgment of God; and that children must give an account to God of their conduct towards their parents. 6. That the place of masters is very important; that God secureth the rights of inferiors; and that masters should remember that Christ is the judge of all, and that on earth they themselves are but servants. 7. That servants cannot plead ignorance of their duty; that they are bound by God to do that of which they probably do not often think; that their own engagements bind them to faithfulness in all things; and that they are to obey, lest they be found liars, and their own tongues condemn them. 8. That the office of a minister in the Church of Christ is very important; that his work is very important, and the consequences of it momentous; that much good may be done to the souls of men by the right discharge of this office; and that an account must soon be given by all who are invested with it. 9. That, as the work of ministers of the gospel is arduous, and requires encouragement, it is the duty of the people to do what they can to assist them and strengthen their hands; and that ministers and people ought to be comforts to one another. 10. That the duty of magistrates is very important; that it is an ordinance of God; that they are accountable for the discharge of the trust committed to them; and that many eyes are upon them, and also the eyes of the King of kings and Lord of lords. 11. That it is the duty of subjects to obey magistrates; and that they who disobey them, sin against God, by whom they are ordained.

Sins Forbidden.

Q. 65. What is forbidden in the Fifth Commandment ? The Fifth Commandment forbiddeth the neglecting of, or doing any thing against, the honour and duty which belongeth to every one in their several places and relations.

ANALYSIS AND PROOFS.

We are here taught,

1. That we are forbidden to neglect the honour due to any one, whether our superior, our inferior, or our equal. 1 Pet. ii. 17. "Honour all men." See also Rom. xiii. 7; Gen. xxiii. 7; Rom. xii. 16; 1 Pet. iii. 8; Eph. vi. 2, 3.