ple, according to 2 Cor. vi. 16. It is not therefore a less blessing now to live a long life, than it was, under the Old Testament; and: it is not a smaller punishment now to be taken out of life, than it was under the Old Testament. Believers were not then more subject to the fear of death all their life long, from a dread of losing the land of Canaan by death, than believers are now; and Paul speaks not in Heb. ii. '5, concerning the fear of death, which should have possessed believers of the Old Testament, through an anxious concern, lest they might lose the land of Canaan. Our an-. notators suggest better thoughts on that passage; and we refer to

them.

How, will some perhaps think, is a long life on earth a blessing? would it not be better for believers to enter betimes into heaven by death? But a long life is not opposed here to everlasting life, but to death: life is also in itself a blessing, not only to a wicked man, who, as long as he lives, is exempted from destruction, enjoys the gifts of God, and time and means for repentance; but a long life-is also a blessing to the pious; for life is sweet, and all who live are afraid to die if all the righteous should die in their youth, what would become of the world who would restrain and convert it but when the pious live long, they may convert others, and glorify God among them, who are alive on the earth, for which they will not have any opportunity hereafter. The Lord also bestows long life' for this purpose upon his favorites, as Hezekiah showed: after the Lord had recovered and healed him," he said to his praise; For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the liv ing, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth," Isaiah xxxviii. 16--19. In heaven we will do this indeed more than here, but there we will have time enough, believers will not come short of heaven, nor enjoy less of it. The wicked by continuing a long time on earth, prolong their lives in their impenitence, it is therefore no blessing to them, but a curse : for "the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed," Isaiah Ixv. 20. Doth a godly person die in his youth, he hath notwithstanding lived longer than an old sinner, who is dead, while he liveth God sometimes takes his children away early, in order to preserve them from the evil, which he is about to bring on their generation, and so 66 they are taken away from the evil to come," Isaiah Ivii. 1. like young Abijah, the son of Jeroboam, 1 Kings xiv. 12, 13. A good and desirable long life is also promised; for the Lawgiver santh, Deut. v. 16, and Paul from him, Eph. vi. 3, "that thy days

may be prolonged, and it may go well with thee." We must also know that when God promiseth temporal blessings, he doth it usu ally upon certain conditions, and therefore that obedient children shall live long, if it shall be for the honor of God, and for their salvation: we may not extend temporal promises further than this.

The word Jaarichoun, which we find here in the Hebrew original, signifieth also, that "they may prolong" your days, to wit, the father, and mother, who exercise much tender care that they may prolong the blessed days of their children, pray for them, instruct them, and bless them, which they will do so much the more, when their children honour them. How ought the children then to exert themselves to perform their duty, since it depends greatly upon their parents, whether they shall be blessed This promise ought to incite them the more, because "this commandment is the first with a promise," as the apostle testifieth, Eph. vi. 2. But how can he say this, for the second commandment hath also a promise, and it nevertheless precedes this? But we may easily understand his meaning, if we consider, that he doth not say, it is the commandment which hath first and before all the commandments a promise, but that he saith, it is the first commandment; for it is the first, and also the principal commandment of the second table, and the foundation and fence of the four following, and therefore we are in a particular manner obliged to observe this commandment, if we will not carelessly transgress the following Or if we would understand it so, that the fifth commandment is the first in order of the commandments, that hath a promise, it is then also true. not with respect to the first, but with respect to the second table: moreover this promise is particuJarly applicable to the duty of honouring our parents, but the promise of the second commandment relates to keeping all the commandments of the law; for in that commandment the Lawgiver saith, "I show mercy to thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments." Since then God enforceth this fifth commandment only with such a suitable promise, therefore children must honour their parents, if they do not wish to be excluded from any share in this promise.

Further, Paul explaining and enforcing this commandment, saith that "it is right" to obey our parents, Eph. vi. 1. And is it not right and proper? for God commands it, and we must obey God on his own account; all nations have also judged it to be right and proper, and they have enjoined it: it is also naturally proper, being innate to human nature; yea, what can be more proper, than to acknowledge the superiority and supremacy of our parents over us ;

for we receive all things from them, and we owe all things to them next to God. There is nothing therefore more unnatural than to refuse to honour our parents, and they who do not honour them are branded as persons who are "without natural affection," 2 Tim. iii. 3. The instructor adds another motive to these. and especially that we may be moved to have patience with the weaknesses and infirmities of our parents: "Since," saith he, "it pleases God to govern us by their hand." So that we must honour our parents in obedience to God. Therefore Peter saith, "submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake," 1 Peter ii. 13. When then it is God's will to govern us by such weak and faulty parents, we have no right to be displeased with them, and to withdraw ourselves from them.

APPLICATION.

The Pharisees sought in a most shameful manner to make this commandment of none effect, when they said Matt. xv. 5. "If any man say to his father or mother, It is a gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, and honour not his father or mother, he shall be free." As if children were not under any obligation whatsoever to their parents, but when they brought either, them, or the Lord a gift for an offering, (Corban, Mark v. 11) by which their parents might be profited, that it was a wonderful favour, which merited the thanks of their parents. But the Saviour withstood them manfully, and to their faces, for they deserved to be severely reproved, because "they made the command of God of no effect by their tradition," Matt. xv. 6.

The Papists do not conduct better, when they discharge children from their obligation to their parents; for they teach, that children may enter into a monastery, and may contract marriage against the mind of their parents, yea, that they may refuse to obey their parents altogether, and even banish them, if the church of Rome declare them to be heretics, and excommunicate them: but is there aught, that shows more plainly than this, that the Romish church is antichristian, and that the Pope is, according to 2 l'hess. ii. 3, 4. "the man of sin, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or is worshipped: so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God?" for be magnifies himself above God, when he discharges the creatures

of God from their obligation to the Lord, and to his law. Therefore our forefathers justly withdrew from his arrogated authority, which he had assumed by robbery, that they might submit themselves to the Lord alone, according to his law, and might obey him.

But ought the magistrates also to be acknowledged as fathers, the Mennonites act then improperly, when they assert that no Christian ought to hold the office of a magistrate, because it doth not become him, and doth not comport with Christian humility. But were not the higher powers instituted by God? There is surely no power but of God: "the powers that be are ordained of God," as Paul teacheth, Rom. xiii. 1. Did not God institute government even before the fall? man had dominion not only over every irrational creature, but the man obtained of the Lord dominion over the woman also, Gen. iii 16. Let it not be thought, that this was a consequence of sin, for it proceeded from the creation of the man in the image of God, and from the creation of the woman after the image of the man, and of, and for the man, as the apostle teacheth, 1 Cor. xi. 7-10. David was a great king, but he was nevertheless very humble, as he showed himself, 2 Sam, vi. 21, 22. Psalm cxxxi. Joseph of Arimathea was an excellent and humble Christian, he was not ashamed to desire the crucified Christ of Pilate, and to lay him in his own new tomb; and he was notwithstanding "an honourable counsellor," Luke xxiii. 50-53. Neither Christ nor his apostles advised the magistrates, after their conversion, to abdicate their magistracy, any more than they advised fathers to renounce their fatherhood.

"The law entered that the offence might abound," saith the preacher of the gospel, Rom. v. 20. But is the law then sin? doth it teach sin? God forbid. But it discovereth sin, that we may see it the more, and that the sinner may be the more humbled on account of it: "for by the law is the knowledge of sin," saith the same man, Rom. iii. 20. And to what end doth sin abound by the law? it is that "grace may much more abound," Rom. v. 20. If we will then improve this commandment to our profit, we must compare and examine our conduct by the fifth commandment, that we may behold and humble ourselves for our shameful deviations from it, and may thus from an anxious concern flee to Christ, the end of the law, with a desire of reconciliation and sanctification.

Come then, friends, I have now set before you the demand of this commandment, suffer me to discover to you also your transgressions of it. Can ye all say with more truth, than that "ruler who came to Jesus, and fell down on his knees before him, all these things have 2 M

VOL. II.

I kept from my youth up ?" Luke xviii. 18-21. Mark x. 17-20. Let the actions of your childhood, of your youth and your riper years declare.

1 Where and when have we seen in you that actual respect and reverence for your parents? are they not often treated by you in an uncivil, impudent and shameless manner, and despised as if they were your inferiors? Surely men do not behave better among us, than the Jews, "who set light by their father and mother," Ezek. xxii. 7. They do not conduct better toward the magistrates: "They despise government, they are presumptuous, they are selfwilled, and are not afraid to speak evil of dignities," like those who will be punished with the greatest severity in the day of judgment, of whom Peter speaks, 2 Pet. ii. 10. We see that grievous judgment, which God foretels would befal his people. Isaiah iii. 5, that “the child should behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable." The preachers, though they conduct ever so unblamably, must suffer reproach: "hypocritical muckers at feasts will gnash upon them with their teeth," as David complained in his time, Psalm xxxv. 16. When the preachers faithfully detect, and oppose their opinions, concerns, and daily iniquities, will not these wicked men cry out then, like "the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, what will this babbler say?" Acts vii. 18. how proud are our servants! how spitefully and contemptuously do they behave toward their masters and mistresses! truly just as if they were Ishmaelites, children of Hagar, who despised her mistress, Gen. xvi. 5.

And

2. And how have ye manifested your love to your father and mother? have ye not often shown an aversion from your parents? ? have they not been in your way, and been even a burthen to you and perhaps they are still, so that ye wish for their death, that they may not be a restraint to you, and that ye may inherit their estate. Men show thus, that they are degenerate, and without natural affection. They do not even think that they ought to love the magis trates, they hate and curse them, as the citizens of Shechem cursed Abimelech, Judges ix. 27. They behave no better toward their preachers: "They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly," saith the Lord, Amos v. 10. proper Ahabs, who "hate the prophet, because he doth not proAnd phesy good concerning them, but evil," 1 Kings xxii. 8. where shall we now find a servant, who would be willing to serve his lord for ever from love to him, like the Hebrew servant? Exod. xxi. 5.

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