Verse 4. For God commanded, saying]
This is called the first* 1.1 Commandment with promise, viz. the first affirmative Command∣ment, or the first, in the second Table: or the first of all the tea with promise. For that in the second Commandment is rather a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Gods justice and mercy, and that to the observers of* 1.2 the whole Law: but here is a particular promife made to them, that keep this particular commandment.
Among other good offices, nou∣rish* 1.3 and cherish them as Joseph did Jacob and his family, 〈◊〉〈◊〉* 1.4 * 1.5 〈◊〉〈◊〉, as a man nourisheth his little-ones, lovingly and tender∣ly:* 1.6 Be unto them as Obed was to Naomi, A restorer of her 〈◊〉〈◊〉,* 1.7 and a nourisher of her old age. This the Apostle commends to us, as* 1.8 a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not only good before men, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 acceptable before God. This the Stork and the Mouse teach us, by their singular love to their a∣ged 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 was the staff of his fathers age, and thereby merited the honourable name of Scipio among the Romans. E∣paminondas rejoyced in nothing more, then that he had lived to chear up the hearts of his aged parents, by the reports of his 〈◊〉〈◊〉.* 1.9 Our parents are our houshold gods, said Hierocles. AEneas is sirnamed Pius, for his love to his father, whom he bore upon his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 out of the fire of Troy. And Aristotle tels how that when from the hill AEtna, there ran down a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of fire that consu∣med* 1.10 all the houses thereabouts, in the midst of those fearfull flames Gods speciall care of the godly shined most brightly. For the river of fire parted it self, and made a kinde of lane for those who ven∣tured to rescue their aged parents, and pluck them out of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of death.