Equal Regard for Every Child

Hitherto of parents duties. The persons to whom those duties are to be performed, are distinctly to be considered.

The parties to whom parents are to performe all the forenamed duties are expressed vnder this word (Children) which [Note 1] hath not any speciall respect to prioritie of birth, to constitution of body, to affection of parent, or any such thing, as if first borne, proper, beautifull, darling, or the like children were only meant, but all that are begotten and borne of parents, all their children are meant. Whence I obserue, that Parents ought to haue an impartiall respect to all their children, and performe dutie indifferently and equally to all. We haue for proofe hereof Gods patterne, who accounteth all his children deare or beloued children. The Greeke word translated [Note 2] deare is very emphaticall: it is properly attributed to an only childe: the seuentie that translated the Hebrew Bible into Greeke, doe with this word interpret that phrase, Only Sonne: [Note 3] for where in Hebrew it is thus said to Abraham, take thy sonne, thine only one, they thus translate it, take thy sonne, thy deare one, or thy beloued one. Other Greeke authors doe so attribute the same word to an only childe, yea also and to an only eie: as when a man hath but one eie they call it a beloued eie. This word then sheweth that God so respecteth all his children, as if all were but one, all a first-borne, all a darling childe. So rare a vertue this impartiall respect is (rare in the excellencie of it, rare also in the scarcitie of it) as thorowout the Scripture I can scarce finde a perfect patterne thereof [Note 4] among the sonnes of men. Many may be giuen of the contrary, as we shall after heare. But the more rare it is, the more we must labour after it, that so we may resemble Gods fatherhood.

1.All our children come from our owne substance and [Note 5] bowels. Why then should we respect one childe aboue another, more then we doe one eie, or one eare aboue another? We are as tender ouer one as ouer another, though it may be we haue more vse of one then of another.#

2.All our children are alike committed to vs by God: the same precepts and directions giuen for all alike: the like account to be giuen for all. If a King should commit many of his children to one nurse, would not he be offended (and that iustly) if she should put such a difference betwixt them, through a foolish partialitie, as to respect some, and neglect others?#

Obiect. What if one childe be more pious to God and parent, another more rebellious, may not a parent respect that more then this?

1.Answ. He may take notice of their different carriage, and accordingly reward the one, and punish the other, and yet carrie an equall desire of doing good to both of them alike: for the punishing of the rebellious childe is a parents dutie; an euidence of loue, and a meanes of doing him good.#

2.Answ. It is no partialitie to like grace and goodnesse in a childe, and for grace and goodnesse sake to loue his childe so much the more, as also for impietie and obstinacy in rebellion to haue his heart the more alienated from his childe: this is rather a vertue in a parent. Partialitie is when on by and vndue respects one childe is preferred before another.#

Quest. May not a parent preferre his first-borne childe, and heire before his other children? Answ. We must put difference betwixt a fathers disposing his estate vpon his children, and the ordering of his affection towards them. A parents affection, and care of good education, and desire of true good, and faithfull praiers to God, may be as great towards his younger children, as towards his eldest sonne and heire, and yet may he bestow the greatest patrimony vpon the heire: which is no partialitie.

2.Quest. Is it then iust and equall that the eldest sonne should haue a greater patrimony then any of the rest? Answ. It is most iust and equall. For#

1.God hath so appointed it: yea [Note 6] he made this to be one of the prerogatiues of the first-borne, to haue a double portion. Vpon this ground [Note 7] Ioseph, who was the first-borne of the true wife, had a double portion; and as a testimony thereof his posteritie made two tribes.#

2.The lawes of all nations doe order as much.#

3.Our law giueth the whole inheritance of freeholds to the eldest sonne: in which respect it is due vnto him. For in ciuill and temporall matters this rule is true, we liue by law. I take it to be a matter of conscience for a parent to leaue that to euery childe which by law is due to him. Neither is it without good reason that the law ordaineth that a parents whole estate of freehold land should descend: for#

1.There is an excellency in the first borne, as is euident by Iaakobs speech to his eldest sonne, [Note 8] thou art my first borne, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. And thereupon [Note 9] God tooke the first borne as peculiar to himselfe.#

2.Houses and families by this meanes are vpheld and continued from age to age. How needfull it is for the establishment of a commonwealth that families should thus be continued, is euident both by experience to all such as haue but halfe an eie to see wherein the stability of a common wealth consisteth, and also by the many lawes which God ordained among the Iewes for this purpose: as#

1.That [Note 10] no land should be quite cut off from a family.#

2.That [Note 11] if any through pouerty were forced to sell his land, the next of kin was to buy it.#

3.That [Note 12] if a man that had sold his land, could by no meanes redeeme it againe, at the yeere of Iubilee he was to haue the possession of it againe.#

4.That [Note 13] if daughters were heires they should not marry out of their fathers tribe: and this reason is giuen, that euery man may enioy the inheritance of his fathers.#

Obiect. By leauing the whole inheritance to the eldest, he may be made a Gentleman, and all the other beggars. Answ. In this respect parents ought to be so much the more prouident for their other children, in training them vp to callings, or laying vp portions, or setling other estates vpon them beside the maine inheritance, or in taking order that comp ⟦G9⟧ent portions be raised out of the inheritance of the eldest son, ⟦G10⟧n case God take them away before they haue otherwise pro ⟦G11⟧ided for their children. Out of this answer may a third reason be gathered, to shew that it is a behouefull law for the commonwealth that the heire should haue all the land. For this law maketh parents more carefull in training vp their younger sonnes to sundry callings which are profitable to a commonwealth. If euery childe should haue a part of his fathers lands, they would all so depend thereupon, as none of them would exercise themselues to such callings as are meanes of mens maintenance.

Contrary to the forenamed duty of a parents equall respect to all his children, is partiality in fathers and mothers, manifested sundry waies. For

1.Many parents haue their darling children, to whom so [Note 14] much affection is shewed, as in comparison none is shewed to others. When some are hugged in the bosome, others are neglected as if they were none of their owne, but basely borne. The vnnaturalnesse of the eagle is noted in this kinde, that she flaps and driues out of the nest one of her young ones, and feedeth only the other as her owne. From such partiality in parents proceed many mischiefes: as these,#

1.They giue occasion to such as obserue it, to suspect that those children who are so little respected, are none of their owne.#

2.They cause enuy, malice, and much contention to arise among children. When Iosephs brethren saw that their father [Note 15] loued him more then all them, they hated him, and could not speake peaceably vnto him.#

3.They prouoke God to inflict some iudgement on those children that are so cockered, and preferred before the rest: that so they may the better see their folly.#

This sinne of parents partiality is so much the greater, when vpon outward respects they preferre the wicked and vngodly children before pious and gracious children. Isaak herein much failed, for [Note 16] he loued Esau (a [Note 17] profane wretch) because he did eat of his Venison.

2.Other parents so set themselues to raise their house, as a⟦G12⟧ their care is to aduance their eldest sonne, by education, by liberall allowance, and by leauing all they haue to him: and i⟦G13⟧ the meane while neglect their younger children. Though (as was noted [Note 18] before) the maine inheritance may iustly without shew of partiality be left to the heire, yet to be carefull only for him, and to neglect the other, sauoureth ranke of partiality. It is most agreeable to naturall reason, that as life is giuen to all [Note 19] children, so meanes of maintaining life should be giuen to all.#

3.In the number of partiall parents may they be reckoned, who vniustly disinherit their first borne. For the inheritance of right belonging to them, and they not deseruing to be disinherited, assuredly it is some by respect or other which maketh parents prefer the younger before the elder: and this is plaine partiality. This kinde of partiality is commonly in such parents as haue had children by seuerall wiues. Sometimes dislike of a former wife maketh a father dislike the children he hath by her, and through dislike to disinherit the heire by her. God gaue the Iewes an expresse law against this kinde of [Note 20] partiality.#

Sometimes againe a gripulous seeking of aduantage to themselues maketh parents to disinherit the right heire: as when a man after he hath buried the mother of his first borne, hearing of another woman which is of great wealth, maketh sute for her. She refuseth because he hath an heire of a former wife. He to remoue that blocke entereth couenant to make the sonne which he hath by her (if he haue any) his heire: hereupon the mariage is consummate: his second wife bringeth forth a sonne: he for his couenant sake disinheriteth the first heire. An vniust, and vnlawfull practise.

Quest. May not then a first-borne sonne be disinherited? Answ. Yes, The Scripture noteth two causes wherein the first-borne may be put from the inheritance.

1.If he be illegitimate: for such an one hath no good title: The sonne of the bondwoman shall not be heire with my sonne, [Note 21] saith Sarah, and that iustly. To like purpose say the sons of Gileads wife to Iephthah, Thou shalt not inherit in our fathers house, [Note 22] for thou art the sonne of a strange woman. Iust was that blame which Iotham laid vpon the men of Shechem for making Abimelech [Note 23] the base sonne of Ierubbaal King: and iust was Gods vengeance vpon them for that wrong done to Ierubbaals legitimate children.#

2.If he be notoriously wicked. Thus [Note 24] Ruben for committing abominable incest lost his birthright. Many particular crimes are reckoned vp by the [Note 25] ciuill Lawyers, which would be too long here to recite.#