with bitter words,. Col. iii. 21.; indifcreet and untender dealing with them with refpect to their callings or marriages. Potrebtrici

Thirdly, As to mafters and fervants: hiftor 1. Servants fin against their mafters by irreverent, disrespectful, and faucy carriage towards them, without any respect to the honour which God calls them to give to their mafters. Many are difobedient, and will plainly tell, that they will not do what they are bidden; or if they do it, they will do it in fuch a manner, as fhall vent their pride and paffion. Thought he fcripture commands not to anfwer again, they will anfwer, and have the laft word too, and by no means will fubmit to reproofs. Many are unfaithful to their mafters, their service is eye-fervice, unfaithful fervice, either by their negligence and floth bringing their mafter to lofs, or by difhonefty in that which is under their hands. Some profeffing fervants are by their way a fcandal to religion in families where they are. Others are a plague to the family by the averfion they fhew to every good thing or religious duty, as if their mafters were no more concerned in them, if they work their work, Eph. v. 5. 6. dr o so zamed: gait

2. Mafters fin againft their fervants, not allowing them fufficient maintenance, but niggardly pinching them, keeping back their wages from them in whole or in part, and fo oppreffing the hireling; rigoroufly keeping them at work, not allowing them convenient time for reft, nor worshipping of God in fecret, or attending on public ordinances. And fo they in against them by continual chiding and uneafinefs to them, and careleffness with refpect to their fouls good, Eph. to NEW sdt Fourthly, As to minifters and people op 1. People fin against their minifters, by their flighting and defpifing them, and nowife treating them as the meffengers of Chrift; going on in their evil ways over the belly of all warnings and reproofs, being ftubborn and refufing fubjection to difcipline; flan

vi. 9.

dering of them, creating them trouble, by forfakingi of ordinances, &c. or any wife making their work19) burdenfome, or them to drive heavily in it; and 10 reftraining prayer for them.

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1279 Minifters fin against people by an unconcernednefs about their fouls cafe, lazinefs and un faithfulness in difcharge of their duty, proving tumbling-blocks to their people by a loofe walk, of andynot being earneft in prayer for them, for the bleffing of God on them and their meffage. rabbid ad As to ruling elders and people, I have nothing toe. add to what I faid before.

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en Fifthly, As to magiftrates and fübjects: : សនៈ 15: Subjects fin againft their magiftrates, by carry ing difrefpectfully to them, rebelling against them, r and difobeying their juft laws, reviling and fpeak-lis ing defpitefully of them, denying them fubjection and their juft dues, and not praying for them ziedo 919.yMagiftrates fin againft fubjects by using their

power to fatisfy their lufts, and giving bad example to others, by tyranny and oppreffion, unjuft laws, it and difcountenancing piety and virtue, and opposm fing themselves to the kingdom of Chrift. how Sistbly, As to the aged and younger: How little refpect do the younger fhew to the aged! Inftead of that honour due to age, people are ready to befool them, if not to account them witches or wizards,70 forgetting that either they must come to their aged themselves, or die by the way. On the other hand,it few old people carry fo to the younger, as to com- 9} mand respect by their exemplary piety and holinesset but, on the contrary, gray hairs are often found in s the way of wickedness.

Seventhly, As to the weaker and ftronger in gifts: It is often the fin of the weaker to envy the ftronger, and if they can to mifreprefent them. The weake judge the ftrong, and the ftrong defpite and ftumble the weak.1

Laftly, Equals fin against one another, undervaluing the worth, envying and grieving at the good of one another, and ufurping pre-eminence over one another.

The fpring and fource of all this is, (1.) Want of love to and fear of God; for while people are not in their duty to God, how fhould they be in their duty to man? (2.) Pride and felfifhnefs, while every one feeks himself, and not the good of others.

These things may be very humbling to all of us. Who can fay his life is clean in any of thefe relations? But even thofe who are very dutiful in their feveral relations as to the matter, may be guilty of the breach of this command, in fo far as what they do in these things does not proceed from gracious principles; for indeed the firft command mut be carried along in all the reft,

bor III. We come now to the reafon annexed to this command; which is," A promife of long life "A and profperity (as far as it fhall ferve for God's glory and their own good) to all fuch as keep

"this commandment."

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This is a promife to encourage the confcientious performance of the duties here required. The apoftle tells us, that it is the first command with promife, Eph. v. 2.

Quef. 1. How is this command the first with promife, feeing the fecond has a promife alfo?

Anf. It is the first command of the fecond table: for it is the most weighty of them all, as comprehending all the reft in it, fo that we cannot fin againft the reft, but we muft firft break over the hedge of this which encompaffeth all the reft. For one cannot violate another's life, chastity, &c, but he firft violates the honour due to him by this command. And it is the only command that has a fpecial promife of a particular mercy annexed to it. The promife annexed to the fecond command is but

2 promile of mercy in the general, and that not particularly to thofe that keep that command, but all the commandments.

Queft. 2. But does the law promife any thing but to perfect keeping of its commands? and if fo, what are we the better?

Anf. We muft diftinguish betwixt the law as a covenant of works, and the law as in the hand of Chrift for a rule of life to believers. As it is a covenant of works, nothing lefs than perfect obedience can intereft men in the promife; for the leaft failure knocks off the man's fingers from the promife by virtue of the curfe, Gal. iii. 10. Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. So that we can be nothing the better of this promife. But Chrift being the Surety of the better covenant, having made a new covenant of grace in his blood, he takes the fame law in his hands, and gives out the commands of it as a rule of life to his covenanted people, and renews the promises of it to their fincere obedience of them, 1 Tim. iv. 8. Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promife of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. As for the curfe of it, they hear of it no more, he having borne it away himself. And fo he crowns the fruits of his own grace in them with bleffed rewards. And as all thefe promifes are yea and amen in him; fo for his fake, through faith in his blood, they are obtained

In the words we may confider thefe three things; the blefling promifed, the place where it is to be enjoyed, and the regard the Lord allows his people to have to that blefling to further them in obedi

ence.

FIRST, The bleffing promifed; that is, long life; that thy days may be long. It is a temporal mercy, a mercy much defired ordinarily by all men, and

promised to them that keep this commandment. There are four things here to be confidered.

First, What is meant by mens days being long. It denotes two things.

1. Long life, Prov. iv. 10. The years of thy life Shall be many. Death in its beft colours has fomething frightful about it. It is a diffolution

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foul and body, which nature shivers at. But there is no eviting of it; all muft die; they must go through that dark valley to their eternal ftate. But the best that can be made of it is promifed here, viz. that fuch fhall be full of days, and not be taken away till they be ripe for the fickle.

2. Profperity to accompany that life; for non vivere, fed valere, vita eft. Long life in miferies is a continued death rather than life. So that the nature of the thing teaches us, that a profperous long life is here promifed. It is a good old age, Gen. xv. 15. And thus the apostle explains it, Eph. vi. 3. That it may be well with thee, and thou mayft live long on the earth.

Secondly, That long life is in itself a mercy, and therefore is promifed. There are many things that may mortify mens defires of long life. Old age is ordinarily accompanied with a train of miferies; and the longer the godly live, they are the longer kept out of heaven. Yet there are four things that make this long and profperous life here promifed to the godly's keeping of this command, a great mercy.

1. A good old age is an honourable thing, Prov. xvi. 31. The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. God commands a particular reverence to be given to old men, Lev. xix. 32. Thou shalt rife up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man. It is true, fin and wickednefs fpoils the greatest glory, and no man iş more like the devil than a wicked old man, lf. lxv, 20. The finner being an hundred years old, fhall be ac