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THE FIFT COMMANDEMENT.
HONOR thy Father, and thy Mother, that thy daies maie be long in the land, which the Lord thy God giueth thee.
Now followeth the Lawes of the se∣cond table of the Decalogue, the obe∣dience whereof doth as well verilie re∣spect God, as the commaundements of the first table; but the woorkes are immediately exercised towards men: For the subiect of the second table, is our neighbor. Of which subiect this is affirmed, Thou shalt loue him as thy selfe: like as Christ also briefly comprised the summe of the second table, saying, Matt. 22.39. And the second is like vnto this; Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe. He saith that the second commaundement is like vnto the first or great commaunde∣ment, or, the second table is like vnto the first table, which is thus to be vnderstoode. 1. As touching the kind of the chiefe worship of God, the second table is like vnto the first; and so is the second said to be like vnto the first, in respect of the ceremonial, which are not the chiefe worship. 2. As touching the kinds of eternal punishment, because the transgression of both tables meriteth eternal punishment. 3. As touching the vnseparable coherence of the loue of God and our neighbour. For our neighbor cannot be loued without the loue of God: & the loue of God is declared & exercised by the loue of our neighbour. Whence also wee may gather the causes, for which obedience is to bee yeelded vnto the second table, name∣ly, 1. That in this obedience God himselfe may be worshipped, and our loue towardes him shewed and declared, by our loue towardes our neighbour for his sake. 2. That by the loue of our neighbor our conformitie with God maie appeare. 3. That the societie of man∣kind maie be preserued, which was ordained of God for the celebra∣tion and magnifieng of his name.
Moreouer this fift commandement is placed first in the second table, 1. Because this is the cause, the bond, and ground of the obedience of the rest of the commaundements following. For if this obedience stand which is of the inferiours towardes the superiours, who are those which commaund the obedi∣ence of the commaundementes that follow, then must the obedience towards the rest of the commaundements ne∣cessarily