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The Power of
Parents.

The Duties of
Parents.

WITH regard to the fecond Relation of Parents to Children, 'tis evident they, as being their Offspring, are the most immediate Subject of Patriarchal Power, according to the most antient and holy Inftitution and Form of Government; by which they are obliged to honour and obey their Father and Mother, and to obferve and perform their lawful Commands. And fince both Father and Mother concur to the Generation of Children, they have each a Property in and Power over them. But this Power extends not to Life and Death, though in Cafes ever fo criminal, but only to proper Correction and Caftigation; for when Children are grown adult, and pertinaciously contemn the paternal Care, Power, and Government, they are to be deliver'd up to the fuperior Power of the City, or Nation, if any fuch be extant; if not, they are to be expell'd and abdicated their Father's House.

THE Duties of Parents concerning their Children are principally such as these, viz. (1.) That they feed, cloath and nourish them while young and helpless, in a proper Manner. (2.) That they take care to educate them in all useful Knowledge and Learning. (3). That they bring them up in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord, that is, in the Chriftian Religion. (4.) That they imbue their Minds with the Principles of Virtue and Morality while young and flexible, and inure them gradually to the Practice thereof. (5.) That they infuse and implant in their Minds an early Senfe of Moral Evil, and bring them to an babitual Abhorrence of all Vices and Immoralities. (6.) That they give them fuitable Reproof, Correction, and Restraint, for and in confideration of all vicious, ungodly and vain Practices, and by all means poffible cause them to forfake the fame. (7.) That they teach and inftruct, or cause them

to

to learn fome boneft Art, Faculty, or Imployment for their future Dependence and Support of Life. (8.) That they give them wholesome and prudent Advice in all difficult and momentous Affairs, as in chufing an Husband or Wife, Profeffion of Religion, Bargaining, &c. though in these Cafes the Parent has no Power or Right to oblige the Child to fulfil his Will or Defire. (9.) Laftly, that they take all proper Care to augment, improve, and promote their Children's Fortune and Profperity in every Respect.

THE Duties of Children towards their Parents The Duties of are (1.) That they love, bonour, and obey them in Children. all their civil and reafonable Commands. (2.) That they ferve them with all Readiness and Submiffion in the Business of their Calling. (3.) To use all reverent, fubmiffive, dutiful Language to them on all Occafions; and to refrain Contradiction, and Obloquy of every Sort. (4.) To deport themselves always with a refpectful, filial, and dutiful Behaviour, fuch as may exprefs a Sense of the Obligation they are under to their Parents, as the immediate Authors of their Beings, and all proper Sentiments of Gratitude and Honour which naturally refult from fuch a Confideration. (5.) To do nothing without their Advice or Counfel, at least not contrary thereto, in Matters merely buman, and of civil Concern. (6.) In Matters of Religion they ought to keep a Confcience void of Offence towards God and Man, and to profess that Form which they judge to be most pure and agreeable to the Inftitutions of Chrift, whether their Parents profefs the fame or not; for in this Cafe they are obliged to obey God rather than Man, though a Father or Mother. (7.) They ought to bear with a becoming Patience the Oddities, Perverfities, Vices, &c. ImperfeEtions (if any) of their Parents; and endeavour to bide and extenuate, and not expose them to the

World.

Polity and
Politics.

A Republic or Commonwealth, whence.

AND fince the Greeks (from whom we receive the Terms and Art of Government) call'd a City, in their Tongue, Polis; therefore the Government was call'd Politia, or Polity and Policy; and thus Books which treat thereof, or the Art itself, are call'd Politics; and those who are fkill'd therein, Politicians.

ALSO fince a Nation or Common-wealth is but a Spot of Earth, or a Land wherein are many of those Cities and Towns, united in a common Intereft, and order'd and govern'd by the fame Laws, it came to pafs, that the Rule and Governance of any Nation or Land came to be call'd the Policy of that Land or Country; and because of the Common Weal or Good, or public Affairs, refpected and conferv'd thereby, it was indifferently call'd a Common-wealth or Republic; and hence they who difpenfe the Laws are alfo faid to adminifter the Republic of the fame Coun

try.

Diversity of Now fince Policy or Government neceffarily Government. implies a State of Superiority and Subjection; for no one can properly be faid to rule or bear fway, or govern, unless there be fome who are ruled, or Subjects of their Government; fo neceffarily alfo follows a Diversity of Governments or Policies, according to the Regents or Perfons governing, the Societies govern'd, and the Manner of Acquifition and Administration of the Supreme

Power.

WITH respect to the first Diversity of Govern ment arifing from the Regents, or Perfons exercifing the Supreme Power, it is diftributed into Theocrafy. the following Kinds. (1.) Theocrafy, when People are under the immediate Rule, Government, and Direction of God himself, in Civil, as well as Religious Affairs; and fuch a State is call'd Theocratical, as was that of the Children of Ifrael originally

Dictates of Reafon and Prudence. (4.) That he keep his plighted Faith in allowing her the fole Property and Ufe of his Body, and abstaining religiously from all adulterous Commerce with any other of her Sex. (5.) That he teach and inftruct her in the Duties of Religion, and the more difficult Affairs of Life, when the appears to need it. (6.) That, laftly, he rule and govern her by the Laws of Prudence and Reason, and in fuch a Manner, that more of Love, Humanity and Kindness may appear, than of Power and fovereign Authority. In fhort, every Act of the Husband fhould be fuch as might tend to demonftrate, that he is not willing to fhew himself fo much her ruling Lord, as her loving Husband; and more defirous of her Love, Affection and Esteem, than her Fear and Submiffion.

The Duties and Offices of a Wife towards her The Duties of Husband are, for the most part, the fame as thofe a Wife. juft enumerated of the Husband towards the Wife; but particularly, that she love, honour, and assist him, not only in bearing Children and educating them, but in taking on her a Part of the Adminiftration of domeftic Affairs; and moreover, that she be modeft, chaste, and submiffive in all Cafes where the fuperior Wisdom and Judgment of the Husband fhall require it. And on the Side both of Man and Wife the Nature of fuch a strict Conjunction requires that they be mutually Partakers of each other's Fortune whether profperous or adverfe, and to comfort each other in their Calamity; and that they fhould both fo attemperate their Behaviour and Manners with Prudence and Wisdom, as fhould best conduce to Peace, Harmony, and mutual Forbearance, in refpect of which however it is adjudged moft becoming the Wife to yield.

004

WITH

Tyranny.

Polity of Great
Britain.

People in a State of Liberty, as having all their public Affairs order'd and adminifter'd according to the Rules of Right and Equity, which is all they can defire of Governors. But if the Government be obtain❜d by Force and Violence, and exercised by the arbitrary Will and Pleasure of the Ruler, without confulting or regarding the Will, Request, Right, or Good of the People, fuch a State is call'd Tyranny, a State of Slavery, an arbitrary and Defpotic Government; and the People are faid to be (not govern'd, but) tyranniz'd over and enflav'd by arbitrary Power.

By what has been hitherto defined, it appears that the Civil State or Government of Great Britain is not a Simple Polity, that is, it is not a Monarchy, Aristocrafy, or Democrafy, fingly confider'd, but is rather a Compound of them all together; for tho' we have one Supreme Ruler, whom we call our King, yet he reigneth not by himself, nor is he abfolute, but he governs by, and in Conjunction with the great Council and Assembly of The Parlia- the Nobles of the Land, which we call the Parlia

ment.

The Dependency thereof.

ment; nor is even this auguft Affembly uniform or independent, for it confifts of two very dif ferent Parts, one of the Higher Nobility both Temporal and Spiritual, call'd the House of Lords; the other Part is made up of the Lower Nobility or Commonalty, the Knights and BurgeДes of Shires and Borough Towns, and are call'd the Houfe of Commons, or the Lower House.

Now the Higher House receiveth not, nor meddleth with many of the public Affairs of the Nation prefented by Bills, till thofe Bills have first pass'd a Hearing and Examination in the Lower Houfe, and have obtained their Confent. Lastly, this Lower Houfe is entirely dependent on the common People or Populace; for the Members thereof are chofen by them, to act for them, as

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