The true and faithful discharge of relative duties, is a very great honour and ornament to the doctrine of the gospel: without, which the talk of Godliness, and profession of religion, is vain; and therefore all Christians should labour to understand their relative duties, and be careful and conscionable in the discharge of them.

The true and faithful Discharge of RELATIVE DUTIES Is a very great Honour and Ornament to the DOCTRINE of the GOSPEL; Without, which the talk of Godliness, and Profession of Religion, is vain; and therefore all Christians should labour to understand their Relative Duties, and be careful and conscionable in the discharge of them.

The Duties of Wives.

1. TIs their duty to love their Husbands: this is a duty that helps to the right performance of every duty no; duty will be well discharged without it, tis so necessary that the Apostle would not only have Titus press it himself, but put the aged women upon teaching the younger to love their Husbands. Tit. 24.

2. To be subject to their husbands, this is the Cardinal, vertue, the prime vertue of a wife, therefore the Apostles do so oft in plain express termes require and press it, Eph. 5. 22. 23. Col. 3. 18. 1 Pet. 3. 1. 'tis a breach of God's order when Wives are not subject.

3. To be faithful, &c. they must not in word or action be unfaith∣ful to their Husbands, this is a breach of Covenant, yea the Lords Covenant, Prov 2. 17.

4. To be careful to please, &c. 1 Cor. 7. 34. the Apostle takes it for granted, that a good wife dos so, be∣cause she ought to do so.

5. To endeavour to win the souls of their Husbands, and that; 1. By a holy Conversation a good carriage, 1 Pet. 3. 1. 2. By gentle per∣swasions, perswading them to mind the good of their souls, 1 Cor. 7. 16.

6. To bear quietly and patiently with their Husbands. 1 Pet. 3. 4. as wives should not provoke their Hus∣bands, so they should not easily be provoked by them.

7. To reverence their Husbands, the Holy Ghost takes notice of it as a commendable thing in Sarah, she call'd her Husband Lord, 1 Pet. 3. 6. tis mentioned as an usual thing done by her.

8. To be helpful to, &c. one end of the Wives Creation was to help her Husband, Gen. 2. 18. they must be helpful to their Bodies, Estates, Souls, Pro. 31. 12.

Of Husbands.

1. TO love their Wives, 'tis the duty of Wives to love their Husbands, Children their Parents, Servants their Masters, &c. but more especially the Husband is to love the Wife, or with a more special love, this is the prime vertue of a Husband, Col. 3. 19. Eph. 5. 25. Christ is the Pattern and Example, 28, and 33.

2. To dwell with their Wives, 1 Pet. 3. 7. the Husband must forsake Fa∣ther and Mother and cleave to his Wife, G. 2. 24. Where the Apostle states the question of separating for fasting and prayer by consent, he shews must be only for a time, and then they must come together again, 1 Cor. 7. 5. Christ condemns the Jews putting away their Wives when they disliked them. Mat. 11.

3. To pray for their Wives, G. 25. 21. he did not curse his Wife, nor was bitter against her because she had no children, but intreated the Lord for her.

4. To pray with his Wife. 1 Pet. 3. 9. the Apostle takes it for gran∣ted that good Husbands and Wives pray together, that tis their manner and custom to do so. They have mutual need of protection, directi∣on, many blessings.

5. To be faithful to their Wives, otherwise the Lord will be a wit∣ness against them. Mat. 2. 14.

6. Wisely to manage their autho∣rity, must not be with passion and bitterness, but with wisdom, meek∣ness, patience. 1 Pet. 3. 7.

7. To maintain their Wives au∣thority; if tis weakened, they will prevail the less in their Husbands absence. G. 16. 6.

8. To honour their Wives, 1 Pet. 3. 7. the Husband is to respect and esteem his Wife, or otherwise he will discourage her, and occasion unqui∣etness.

9. To cover the infirmities of their Wives, Joseph had great cause to suspect his Wife of incontinency, a foul crime, yet he would not make her a publick example. Mat. 1. 19.

10. To advise with their Wives. God hath made the Wife of her Hus∣bands Privy-Council. G. 31. 4.

11. To comfort their Wives. Have they trouble of spirit, affliction of body, loss of Children &c. Husbands must endeavour to comfort them in all their troubles and afflictions, out∣ward, inward. Eph. 5. 29.

Of Children.

1, TO honour their Parents; this is express in the fifth Com∣mandment, where, 1. 'Tis directly mentioned, not by consequence. 2. It hath a promise annexed to it, that thy days may be long, &c. and under long life is included a pros∣perous life, so far as shall be for Gods Glory & their good, which sheweth the special respect God hath to those that honour their Parents, and how ready he is to bestow his Blessing on them, Eph. 6. 2, 3. Chil∣dren must honour their Parents, 1. in Heart; they must keep an in∣ward reverence of them, Lev. 19. 3. 2. In Word; give them honourable Titles, and meek and courteous speech, G. 22. 7. Pro. 31. 28. 3. In be∣haviour, giving them obey sance; thus we find the Saints of old, even those eminent ones that are gone up to glory, G. 46. 12. Ex. 18. 7. 1 King. 2. 19.

2. To obey their Parents, in their commands, instructions, repoofs, Eph. 6. 1. Pro. 1. 8, 9.

3. To submit to their corrections, Heb. 12, 9. the Apostle does not only mention what they had done, but intimates what Children should do.

4. To bear with the infirmities of their Parents, cover them in love, Pro. 23. 22. old Women are many times full of infirmities, pet∣tish, sroward, humerous, but Children must not therefore despise them, but bear with and cover their infirmi∣ties, G. 9. 23.

5. To requite their Parents their kindness care and cost toward them, 1 Tim. 5. 4. this Children should do, 1. By acknowledging their Parents Love and paines. 2. By a dutiful behaviour; this is the crown of Pa∣rents, a great comfort to them. 3. By visiting of them, especially in time of sickness, and discomfort. G. 48. 2. 3. and 37. 35. 4. By aiding and relieving them, if they be low and in necessity, G. 45. 10. Christ shews it was wicked doctrine, to free persons from relieving their poor necessitous parents, Mat. 7. 11, 12. 5. By endeavouring to protect them in time of danger, 1 Sam. 22. 3. 4.

Of Parents.

1. TO pray with and for their Chil∣dren. Your Children have their natural blindness and corruption from you, and should not you pray for their good? G. 17. 18.

2. To teach them the holy Scrip∣ture, and that both by reading to them, and bringing them up in read∣ing; it was the special commenda∣tion of Lois and Eunice. 2 Tim. 1. 5. 3. 15.

3. To catechise their Children, Pro. 22. 6. traine up or catechise.

4. To inculcate spiritual instru∣ctions, not only to teach, but fre∣quently, diligently, Deut. 6, 6, 7. and 11. 9.

5. To deliver to their Children those memorable passages of pro∣vidence that have been in their days, or their fathers have told them, Josh. 4. 21, 22. Deut. 4. 9. Psa. 78. 4.

6. To have their Children to the solemn Worship of God. Parents must not suffer their Children to serve the Devil while they are ser∣ving the Lord. G. 35. 3.

7. To correct their Children. They must not only charge and com∣mand their Children, G. 18. 19. but correct them if they do not observe their Commands. Prov. 13. 24. and 22. 15. and 23. 14. Elies. in∣dulgence cost him dear, 1 Sam. 2. 31.

8. Not to exasperate their Chil∣dren; Parents shonld endeavour alway to evidence that what they do is out of love. Eph. 6. 4. Col. 3. 21. 'tis an exhortation to Parents not to be over harsh and sharp to∣ward their Children, that may give them occasion rather to hate, than love them.

9. To bring them up in honest calling's Adam, that was Lord of the whole world, and the father of all living, brought up his sons in honest Callings, one was a shepherd, the other an Husband-Man. G. 4. 2. Tit. 3. 14.

10. To guide their Children in their Matches, the glory of God; the credit of Religion, the good of Chil∣dren, and comfort of Parents them∣selves, are all concerned in it; great evils have come into the world by ill Matches, G. 6. 24. how careful Abraham was, G. 24. 3. what a strict charge, Deut 7. 3. the Father is to dispose of his daughter, 1 Cor. 7. 38.

11. To provide for their Chil∣dren, G. 30. 30. 1 Tim. 5. 8. 2 Cor. 12. 14.

12. To give them good examples; the Parents actions be copies for their Children, very prevalent. David resolved, Psal. 101. 2. Good counsel's vain, without good exam∣ples.

Of Servants.

1. TO reverence their Governours of both Sexes; tis an ill beseem∣ing thing, yea a thing contrary to Scripture, for Servants to be saucy and checkmate, with their Masters, 1. Tim. 6. 1. all honour. i. e. in speech and behaviour. 1 Pet. 2. 18. they must inwardly reverence their Masters from the heart, and out∣wardly declare it in word and car∣riage, yea though they be not good and gentle, but froward. Servants are apt to despise and contemn those that are peevish and froward, but this they must not do, they must have respect to the Ordinance of God, imply'd Mat. 1. 6.

2. To obey their Masters. Religi∣on doth not teach Servants to be loose and careless; this obedience must be, 1. Chearful, not by com∣pulsion, but free, willing. 2. Sincere, aiming at the good and welfare of their Masters. 3. Universal, in all things, i. e. all lawful things; for otherwise they must obey God ra∣ther than men, Eph. 6. 5. 7. Col. 3. 22. Tit. 29.

3. To be diligent in their Masters business, the wicked and slothful Servant are joyn'd together, Mat. 25. 26. This diligence must not only be in the Masters presence, but in his absence, Eph. 6. 6.

4. To bear patiently the checks and reproofs of their Masters, they must not be cross and currish, not give word for word, gain-saying is a great evil in a Servant, Tit. 2. 9.

5. To be faithful to their Masters, the other are nothing without this: Let a Servant be skilful, painful, dili∣gent, and of good carriage, 'tis no∣thing without faithfulness, all other properties of a Servant stink with∣out faithfulness, this is the prime vertue of a servant. Christ joyns good and faithful Servant together, Mat. 25. 21, 23. a Servant can never be a good Servant that is not a faith∣ful Servant. Tit. 2. 10. Must shew all good fidelity. This faithfulness must extend to their Masters name, estate, bodys, soules, relations, and must be equal and entire in all parts of faithfulness, in all kind of bu∣siness.

Of Masters.

1. TO be gentle, not harsh and ri∣gorous, like the Task-Masters of Egypt, this is unbecoming Chr∣stian Masters, the Apostle joyns the good and gentle together, 1 Pet. 2. 18. must not be outragious for every trifle, but gentle, kindly, bear with their Servants. Masters should be as fathers to their Servants, not only in point of superiority over their Ser∣vants, but in point of loving and tender respect to their Servants, 2 King. 5. 13. Eph. 6. 9.

2. To keep up their authority; lose this, and the beauty of a family is lost, and, 'tis much if sad confusion don't creep into the family; remem∣ber in whose stead thou art, as a Ma∣ster and Governour of a family thou representest God himself, who is the Master and Governour of all, and therefore thou shouldest maintain the dignity of the place wherein the Lord hath set thee.

3. To provide convenient, com∣fortable food and rayment for their Servants. Prov. 31. 15, 21. are clo∣thed with scarlet, or double gar∣ments, i. e. they are well clothed against the cold, Col. 4. 1.

4. To look to their commands; both as to, 1. The matter of them; Masters must see their Com∣mands be lawful and good, must not impose any thing upon Servants which the Lord hath not warranted in his word, not require Servants to lye or filch for them, or break the Sabbath. 2. The measure, Masters must not impose more labour upon their Servants than they have strength well and comfortably to perfom; this is oppression and cruel∣ty, Esai. 58. 6.

5. To protect and shelter their Servants, must not suffer them to be wronged and abused by others; as the Lord is a shield to his Servants, Psa. 84. 11.

6. To take care of their Servants in their sickness and weakness, and use means for their recovery, Mat. 8. 6.

7. To endeavour the good of the souls of their Servants: of all duties this is the greatest, and yet most neglected; good Joshua would not Serve God alone, but have his hou∣shold serve God with him, Jos. 24. 15. what a Religious family Abraham had; as they were train'd in civil af∣fairs, and military postures. Gen. 14. 14. so in Religious matters too.