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of their duty to their relatives, all good goes from them, their fpirits four, their fouls wither, and their fpiritual cafe goes quite to wreck.

It is a common obfervation of fuch as flight relative duties, that their relatives are not in their duty to them. But though it be fo, this tie is laid on them by divine authority, and fo cannot be taken off that way. Muft I go out of my duty, becaufe another goes out of his duty to me? No. See 1 Pet. ii. 18. &c. It is the way to gain them to their duty, chap. iii. 1ẹ USE I. of information. This lets us fee, that,

1. There is very little true religion in the world, there is fo little relative holinefs in it, There are two things that make this evident.

(1.) How few are there that make any confcience at all of their duty to their relatives? We may take up Micah's lamentation over the land at this day, Micah vii. 1.-6. If we look to the church, what confufions are there, with untender minifters and unruly people? the ftars lofing their light, and trampled under foot with contempt. If we look to the ftate, magiftrates abufing. their authority, and people de fpifing them and their authority too. If we look into families, what diforder is there? parents careless, children difobedient, hufbands untender, wives ftubbond; mafters rigid, and fervants unfaithful. A fad evidence of the decay of religion, that they world is fo far out of course,

(2.) The relative duties that are done, how few of them are done in a right manner? To do the duty it self may please men; but God will never accept it if it is not done in a right manner, A good humour is all with many, who have no principle of a new nature. A natural affection prevails with fome; love to peace makes others do their duty: and fear of their relatives puts on others to their duty; while in the mean time they are nowife ftirred up thereto from the fear and love of God; nor have they any refpect to the command of God in what they do. But is

that religion? will God ever accept of that as obedience to him? No, no, Rom. xiii. 5. 1 Pet. iii. 6.

2. This lets us fee what need all of us have to be humbled for our defects in relative duties; what need we have of the blood of Chrift to wash away our guilt in thefe; what need we have of the Spirit of Chrift to help us unto thefe duties. Oh! they are

not eafy nature will never comply with the work, or at best but bungle at it. We have much need to pray for the divine affiftance in this matter; as without him we can do nothing, even in thefe outward duties.

USE II. of exhortation. Set yourselves to make confcience of relative duties. For motives to prefs this, confider,

1. This will be a notable mean of good to yourfelves. He that thus lays out himfelf, lays up for himself indeed what the world cannot take from him. (1.) It will be an evidence of the fincerity of your obedience, if to perfonal holiness ye join relative holinefs too, Pfal. cxix. 6. (2.) It will be a great promoter of perfonal holiness; for he that watereth, shall be watered alfo himself. (3.) It will waft within the compafs of the promife in the text.

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2. The confcientious performance of relative duties is the way to do good to others. Would ye be ufeful for God, or useful to your relatives? then do this. This would make you a bleffing like Abraham. There is nothing more convincing, and more likely to make others fall in love with religion, than this, Pet. iii. I. If 3. ye make no confcience of thefe duties, it will difcover the rottennefs and unfoundnefs of your hearts, Pfal. cxix. 6. When God changeth the heart, he writes his laws on it, and thefe laws among others. And the want of this will bring in that dittay, notwithstanding all thy pretended religion, One thing thes lackest.

4. The neglect of thefe duties and unfaithfulness in them does much ill to religion. The world will

obferve how people manage the duties of their relations; and a flaw there is a fad ftumbling-block, that makes others caft at religion. That religion that tends not to the good of fociety, what does it avail? Suppose a profeffor to have a graceless neighbour, can he take a readier way to ftumble him at religion than to be an ill and unconscionable neighbour? That is a remarkable admonition, 1 Tim. vi. 1. Let as many fervants as are under the yoke, count their own masters worthy of all honour; that the name of God, and bis doctrine be not blafphemed. Many pride themfelves in their contempt of magiftrates and their authority; but I am convinced it has no fmall influence on the malignancy and atheism of the age, and fcares many from the religion that we profefs. The malicious Jews knew very well the influence that would have; and therefore tempted our Lord with a queftion relative to paying tribute to Cæfar, Matth. xxii. 16. c. But fee our Lord's practice, Matth. xvii. 27.

5. God takes fpecial notice of the confcientious. performers of relative duties; for indeed thofe that are moft obfervant of them are moft ufeful for God in the world. What a noble commendation is that of Enoch, that he walked with God, Gen. v. 22.? of Abraham, of whom the Lord faid, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? For I know him, that be will command his children, and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgement, Gen. xvii. 17. 19.; and of Sarah, 1 Pet. iii. 6. who obeying Abraham, calling him lord. Nay, at the great day of judgement, it is relative duties that are pitched upon as evidences for the faints; and the neglect of thefe is the ground of the condemnation of the wicked. It is not what paffed or did not pafs betwixt God and them, but what paffed betwixt their neighbours and them, upon which the fentence of abfolution or condemnation is founded. 6. Ere long all thefe relations will be taken away, and then ye will have no more accefs to do a duty to

them. Ordinary emergents may fseparate betwixt the fervant and mafter, minifter and people, one neighbour and another. Death comes and diffolves all relations, Job iii. 17. 18. 19. This diffolves the relation betwixt husband and wife, parents and children. Should we not then take that warning? Gal. vi, 10. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith? When they are gone, many times the neglect ftings terribly.

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7. Thy undutifulness that way may ruin thy relative; for by fuch a ftroke ordinarily it is not one, but two that fall together. And if God do keep them up, yet ye do what in you lies to ruin them. The rich man in hell defires not to fee his brethren. Why, dreadful is the meeting that many relatives will have one with another at that day.

8. Laftly, The neglect of these duties will undoubtedly ruin you, if ye get not pardon and grace to reform that neglect, Heb. xii. 14. If ye have any love to your own fouls, then endeavour after this.

I offer you the following directions.

1. Keep up a fenfe of your own inability for relative duties, and look to the Lord for ftrength to perform them. People look on thefe but as common things, and live not by faith with refpect to them, and the Lord leaves them fo as they mar all. Prayer and faith in the promises are neceffary to the performance of thefe duties.

2. Watch. Satan bends his force against this particularly, because he is in a fair way to ruin two at leaft at once. So relatives fhould join forces to resist him, and carefully watch againft this fubtile and malicious enemy.

3. Lastly, Confider ye have to do with God in that matter, and not merely with another. It is he that has fet you in your feveral relations, and has prefcribed the laws whereby ye muft walk with him in them. He is your witnefs, and will be your Judge with re

1pect to your behaviour in that relation, according to thefe laws.

THIRDLY, I come now to confider the duties of the particular relations wherein we feverally ftand; and they are two in general; thofe of fuperiors and inferiors, and that of equals. The former is of two forts. There are fome relations where one of the relatives has power and authority over the other; and those that import a mere preference. The first of these we may confider with refpect to the family, the church, and the commonwealth.

In the family we find three relations of fuperiors and inferiors, husband and wife, parents and children, mafters and fervants, wherein one of the relatives has power and authority over the other.

I fhall begin with the family-relations, and therein with the first relation that was in the world, and from which all others do proceed, viz. that of husband and wife, and fo proceed to the reft in order. And we muft be particular, that we may declare the whole counsel of God. I fhall fhew you the laws of heaven with refpect to each of thefe relations, which if obferved would make happy focieties, families, &c. and when neglected keep the world in wild disorder; and thefe are laws by which we fhall be judged.

FIRST, As for the relation betwixt hufbands and wives, read Col. iii. 18. 19. Wives, fubmit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Hufbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. The apoftle here lays down the duty of married perfons one to another. He begins with the duty of the wife, as that of the children and fervants, becaufe their duty through the subjection that is in it is the most difficult, and being confcientioufly performed, is the ftrongest motive to the hufband, as to the parent to the children, to do his. And here we have,

1. The fum of a wife's duty to her hufband. Selffubmiffion to him, fubjecting herself to him, comprehending the duty the owes to him in her heart, words,

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