The true and faithful Discharge of RELATIVE DUTIES Is a very great Honour and Ornament to the DOCTRINE of the GOSPEL; Without, which the talk of Godliness, and Profession of Religion, is vain; and therefore all Christians should labour to understand their Relative Duties, and be careful and conscionable in the discharge of them.  

The Duties of Wives.  
1. 'tIs their duty to love their Husbands: this is a duty that helps to the right performance of every duty no; duty will be well discharged without it, 'tis so necessary that the Apostle would not only have Titus press it himself, but put the aged women upon teaching the younger to love their Husbands. Tit. 24.  
2. To be subject to their husbands, this is the Cardinal, virtue, the prime virtue of a wife, therefore the Apostles do so oft in plain express terms require and press it, Eph. 5. 22. 23. Col. 3. 18. 1 Pet. 3. 1. 'tis a breach of God's order when Wives are not subject.  
3. To be faithful, etc. they must not in word or action be unfaithful to their Husbands, this is a breach of Covenant, yea the Lords Covenant, Prov 2. 17.  
4. To be careful to please, etc. 1 Cor. 7. 34. the Apostle takes it for granted, that a good wife does so, because she ought to do so.  
5. To endeavour to win the souls of their Husbands, and that; 1. By a holy Conversation a good carriage, 1 Pet. 3. 1. 2. By gentle persuasions, persuading them to mind the good of their souls, 1 Cor. 7. 16.  
6. To bear quietly and patiently with their Husbands. 1 Pet. 3. 4. as wives should not provoke their Husbands, so they should not easily be provoked by them.  
7. To reverence their Husbands, the Holy Ghost takes notice of it as a commendable thing in Sarah, she called her Husband Lord, 1 Pet. 3. 6. 'tis mentioned as an usual thing done by her.  
8. To be helpful to, etc. one end of the Wife's Creation was to help her Husband, Gen. 2. 18. they must be helpful to their Bodies, Estates, Souls, Pro. 31. 12.   

Of Husbands.  
1. TO love their Wives, 'tis the duty of Wives to love their Husbands, Children their Parents, Servants their Masters, etc. but more especially the Husband is to love the Wife, or with a more special love, this is the prime virtue of a Husband, Col. 3. 19 Eph. 5. 25. Christ is the Pattern and Example, 28, and 33.  
2. To dwell with their Wives, 1 Pet. 3. 7. the Husband must forsake Father and Mother and cleave to his Wife, G. 2. 24. Where the Apostle states the question of separating for fasting and prayer by consent, he shows must be only for a time, and then they must come together again, 1 Cor. 7. 5. Christ condemns the Jews putting away their Wives when they disliked them. Mat. 11.  
3. To pray for their Wives, G. 25. 21. he did not curse his Wife, nor was bitter against her because she had no children, but entreated the Lord for her.  
4. To pray with his Wife. 1 Pet. 3. 9 the Apostle takes it for granted that good Husbands and Wives pray together, that 'tis their manner and custom to do so. They have mutual need of protection, direction, many blessings.  
5. To be faithful to their Wives, otherwise the Lord will be a witness against them. Mat. 2. 14.  
6. Wisely to manage their authority, must not be with passion and bitterness, but with wisdom, meekness, patience. 1 Pet. 3. 7.  
7. To maintain their Wife's authority; if 'tis weakened, they will prevail the less in their Husband's absence. G. 16. 6.  
8. To honour their Wives, 1 Pet. 3. 7. the Husband is to respect and esteem his Wife, or otherwise he will discourage her, and occasion unquietness.  
9 To cover the infirmities of their Wives, Joseph had great cause to suspect his Wife of incontinency, a foul crime, yet he would not make her a public example. Mat. 1. 19  
10. To advise with their Wives. God hath made the Wife of her Husband's Privy-Council. G. 31. 4.  
11. To comfort their Wives. Have they trouble of spirit, affliction of body, loss of Children etc. Husband's must endeavour to comfort them in all their troubles and afflictions, outward, inward. Eph. 5. 29.   

Of Children.  
1, TO honour their Parents; this is express in the fifth Commandment, where, 1. 'Tis directly mentioned, not by consequence. 2. It hath a promise annexed to it, that thy days may be long, etc. and under long life is included a prosperous life, so far as shall be for God's Glory & their good, which showeth the special respect God hath to those that honour their Parents, and how ready he is to bestow his Blessing on them, Eph. 6. 2, 3. Children must honour their Parents, 1. in Heart; they must keep an inward reverence of them, Leu. 19 3. 2. In Word; give them honourable Titles, and meek and courteous speech, G. 22. 7. Pro. 31. 28. 3. In behaviour, giving them obey sance; thus we find the Saints of old, even those eminent ones that are gone up to glory, G. 46. 12. Ex. 18. 7. 1 King. 2. 19  
2. To obey their Parents, in their commands, instructions, repoofs, Eph. 6. 1. Pro. 1. 8, 9  
3. To submit to their corrections, Heb. 12, 9 the Apostle does not only mention what they had done, but intimates what Children should do.  
4. To bear with the infirmities of their Parents, cover them in love, Pro. 23. 22. old Women are many times full of infirmities, pettish, sroward, humorous, but Children must not therefore despise them, but bear with and cover their infirmities, G. 9 23.  
5. To requite their Parents their kindness care and cost toward them, 1 Tim. 5. 4. this Children should do, 1. By acknowledging their Parent's Love and pains. 2. By a dutiful behaviour; this is the crown of Parents, a great comfort to them. 3. By visiting of them, especially in time of sickness, and discomfort. G. 48. 2. 3. and 37. 35. 4. By aiding and relieving them, if they be low and in necessity, G. 45. 10. Christ shows it was wicked doctrine, to free persons from relieving their poor necessitous parents, Mat. 7. 11, 12. 5. By endeavouring to protect them in time of danger, 1 Sam. 22. 3. 4.   

Of Parents.  
1. TO pray with and for their Children. Your Children have their natural blindness and corruption from you, and should not you pray for their good? G. 17. 18.  
2. To teach them the holy Scripture, and that both by reading to them, and bringing them up in reading; it was the special commendation of Lois and Eunice. 2 Tim. 1. 5. 3. 15.  
3. To catechise their Children, Pro. 22. 6. train up or catechise.  
4. To inculcate spiritual instructions, not only to teach, but frequently, diligently, Deut. 6, 6, 7. and 11. 9  
5. To deliver to their Children those memorable passages of providence that have been in their days, or their fathers have told them, Josh. 4. 21, 22. Deut. 4. 9 Psa. 78. 4.  
6. To have their Children to the solemn Worship of God. Parents must not suffer their Children to serve the Devil while they are serving the Lord. G. 35. 3.  
7. To correct their Children. They must not only charge and command their Children, G. 18. 19 but correct them if they do not observe their Commands. Prov. 13. 24. and 22. 15. and 23. 14. Elies. indulgence cost him dear, 1 Sam. 2. 31.  
8. Not to exasperate their Children; Parents should endeavour always to evidence that what they do is out of love. Eph. 6. 4. Col. 3. 21. 'tis an exhortation to Parents not to be over harsh and sharp toward their Children, that may give them occasion rather to hate, than love them.  
9 To bring them up in honest calling's Adam, that was Lord of the whole world, and the father of all living, brought up his sons in honest Callings, one was a shepherd, the other an Husbandman. G. 4. 2. Tit. 3. 14.  
10. To guide their Children in their Matches, the glory of God; the credit of Religion, the good of Children, and comfort of Parents themselves, are all concerned in it; great evils have come into the world by ill Matches, G. 6. 24. how careful Abraham was, G. 24. 3. what a strict charge, Deut 7. 3. the Father is to dispose of his daughter, 1 Cor. 7. 38.  
11. To provide for their Children, G. 30. 30. 1 Tim. 5. 8. 2 Cor. 12. 14.  
12. To give them good examples; the Parent's actions be copies for their Children, very prevalent. David resolved, Psal. 101. 2. Good counsel's vain, without good examples.   

Of Servants.  
1. TO reverence their Governors of both Sexes; 'tis an ill beseeming thing, yea a thing contrary to Scripture, for Servants to be saucy and checkmate, with their Masters, 1. Tim. 6. 1. all honour. i e. in speech and behaviour. 1 Pet. 2. 18. they must inwardly reverence their Masters from the heart, and outwardly declare it in word and carriage, yea though they be not good and gentle, but froward. Servants are apt to despise and contemn those that are peevish and froward, but this they must not do, they must have respect to the Ordinance of God, employed Mat. 1. 6.  
2. To obey their Masters. Religion doth not teach Servants to be lose and careless; this obedience must be, 1. Cheerful, not by compulsion, but free, willing. 2. Sincere, aiming at the good and welfare of their Masters. 3. Universal, in all things, i. e. all lawful things; for otherwise they must obey God rather than men, Eph. 6. 5. 7. Col. 3. 22. Tit. 29.  
3. To be diligent in their Master's business, the wicked and slothful Servant are joined together, Mat. 25. 26. This diligence must not only be in the Master's presence, but in his absence, Eph. 6. 6.  
4. To bear patiently the checks and reproofs of their Masters, they must not be cross and currish, not give word for word, gainsaying is a great evil in a Servant, Tit. 2. 9  
5. To be faithful to their Masters, the other are nothing without this: Let a Servant be skilful, painful, diligent, and of good carriage, 'tis nothing without faithfulness, all other properties of a Servant stink without faithfulness, this is the prime virtue of a servant. Christ joins good and faithful Servant together, Mat. 25. 21, 23. a Servant can never be a good Servant that is not a faithful Servant. Tit. 2. 10. Must show all good fidelity. This faithfulness must extend to their Master's name, estate, bodies, souls, relations, and must be equal and entire in all parts of faithfulness, in all kind of business.   

Of Masters.  
1. TO be gentle, not harsh and rigorous, like the Taskmasters of Egypt, this is unbecoming Chrstian Masters, the Apostle joins the good and gentle together, 1 Pet. 2. 18. must not be outrageous for every trifle, but gentle, kindly, bear with their Servants. Master's should be as fathers to their Servants, not only in point of superiority over their Servants, but in point of loving and tender respect to their Servants, 2 King. 5. 13. Eph. 6. 9  
2. To keep up their authority; lose this, and the beauty of a family is lost, and, 'tis much if sad confusion don't creep into the family; remember in whose stead thou art, as a Master and Governor of a family thou representest God himself, who is the Master and Governor of all, and therefore thou shouldest maintain the dignity of the place wherein the Lord hath set thee.  
3. To provide convenient, comfortable food and raiment for their Servants. Prov. 31. 15, 21. are clothed with scarlet, or double garments, i. e. they are well clothed against the cold, Col. 4. 1.  
4. To look to their commands; both as to, 1. The matter of them; Masters must see their Commands be lawful and good, must not impose any thing upon Servants which the Lord hath not warranted in his word, not require Servants to lie or filch for them, or break the Sabbath. 2. The measure, Masters must not impose more labour upon their Servants than they have strength well and comfortably to perfom; this is oppression and cruelty, Esai. 58. 6.  
5. To protect and shelter their Servants, must not suffer them to be wronged and abused by others; as the Lord is a shield to his Servants, Psa. 84. 11.  
6. To take care of their Servants in their sickness and weakness, and use means for their recovery, Mat. 8. 6.  
7. To endeavour the good of the souls of their Servants: of all duties this is the greatest, and yet most neglected; good Joshua would not Serve God alone, but have his household serve God with him, Jos. 24. 15. what a Religious family Abraham had; as they were trained in civil affairs, and military postures. Gen. 14. 14. so in Religious matters too.    

LONDON, Printed for Awnsham Churchil, 1683.