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SERM. 4thly, THE Next Particular obfervaXV. ble in the Text, is the Reafon or Motive annexed by the Apostle in order to inforce his exhortation: For This (fays he) is well-pleafing unto the Lord. In his Epiftle to the Ephefians, (as I before obferved :) after having laid down the fame exhortation as in the text; inftead of inforcing it, as he does here, with telling them that This is well-pleafing unto the Lord; he cites the Words of the Commandment itself, Honour thy Father and thy Mother; and adds, by way of obfervation, that This is the First Commandment with Promife, ch. vi. 2. The Promife he means, is; That thy days may be long, in the Land which the Lord thy God has given thee. By which Promife, as delivered in the Commandment to the Jews, God by a wife and fuitable Difpofition of Things, very aptly annexed the Bleffing of Long Life, to Them that paid due regard to Those who were the Means of giving them Life. But then, even under the Law, (very certainly, though not fo explicitly as in the Revelation of the Gofpel,) 'tis always to be understood, that in

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all Promifes of This nature, there was aSER M. further Reference to a Future and a Better XV. Life. Thus in the 11th to the Hebrews, the Apostle affures, that Abraham underftood the promised inheritance, to be laid up for him in that heavenly city which has foundations, whofe Builder and Maker is God. Thus the prophetick Tradition among the antient Jews, that Jerufalem Should be built up with Saphirs, Tobit. xiii. 16; is by St John made the description of That City of God which cometh down from Heaven, Thus our Saviour's Promife, that the Meek fhall inherit the Earth, Matt. v. 5; may well have Reference at leaft, if it be not expreffly applied by him in his first intention, to That New Heaven and New Earth, wherein Rigkteaufness is to dwell for ever. Thus, to mention but One Inftance more; That Expreffion of Ezekiel, ch. xiii. 9.

They hall not be in the Assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the Writing of the house of Ifrael, neither hall they enter into the Land of Ifrael; cannot be doubted but that implicitly means the fame thing, as, in the New-Teftament-lan

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guage,

SER M.guage, being not written in the Book of XV. Life.

4.

5thly and Laftly, FROM the relative Antithefis in the refpective parts of the text; Children, obey your Parents in all things; and, Fathers, provoke not your Children to anger: 'Tis obfervable, that as in Nature, in the frame and conftruction of this material Fabrick of the univerfe, all operations of the parts of Matter are mutual upon each other, for the Support and Prefervation of the Whole; fo in morality and religion, All Duties are of reciprocal Obligation, Whereever the Duty of the Inferiour is mentioned, 'tis always to be understood that the Duty of the Superiour is proportionably fuppofed. Parents are to support,

and be gentle towards their Children; Eph.vi. bringing them up in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord. Mafters are to exact Service, not rigoroufly and cruelly, but with Mildness, and

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Church are not to lord it over the Heritage of God, nor to affume to themselves dominion over the Confciences of Men

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but, as faithful Stewards of the Mysteries S ER M. of God, to affift men in understanding the XV. Will of God, and to exhort them continually to practise it in Peace and Love. Magiftrates are to govern according to thofe Inftructions of Job, ch. xxix. 14, I put on righteousness, and it cloathed me; my judgment was as a Robe and a Diadem. I was eyes to the Blind, and feet was I to the Lame. I was a Father to the Poor; and the Caufe which I knew not, I fearched out. Laftly, Princes, or Supreme Civil Governours, are to use Power within the limits of Law and Reafon: Confidering the admonition of the Author of the Book of Wisdom, ch. vi. 2, Give ear, you that rule the people, and that glory in the multitude of Nations; For Power is given you of the Lord, and Sovereignty from the Higheft; who fhall try your Works, and fearch out your Counfels : For be which is Lord over All skall fear no man's perfon, neither fhall be ftand in awe of any man's greatness: For he hath made the Small and great, and careth for All alike.

II. HAVING

SERM.

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II. HAVING thus at large confidered XV. the feveral diftinct Particulars contained in the Text: I fhall Now briefly from the Whole, deduce this General Obfervation; that the Due Performance of the Relative Duties of Life, is a principal Means of obtaining both the Bleffings of the prefent World, and the Happiness of That which is to come. As to the Happiness of the Life to come; the Promise of That being annexed to the Observance of All God's Commandments in general, needs not here be particularly enlarged upon: 'Tis fufficiently implied in those words of the Text, This is well-pleafing unto the Lord. But what in This cafe is peculiarly remarkable, is, that the Bleffings and Happiness of the prefent Life, are not only by the Promife of God annexed to, but even in the Nature of things do effentially confift in, the due Performance of thefe Relative Duties. As, in the natural Body, the Health and Prefervation of the Whole depends upon every Part's performing its proper office; So, in every political Society, Inferiours and Superiours in all the various ftations

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