Nay, indeed this fort of unfaithfulness is worse Sunday than common theft, by how much there is XV. a greater truft repofed, the betraying whereof adds to the crime. As for the other fort of unfaithfulness, that of wafting, tho' without gain to themselves, it differs not much in effect from this, the Master may lofe as much by the one as the other; and then, what odds is it to him, whether he be robbed by the covetoufnefs, or negligence of his Servant? And it is ftill the fame breach of trust with the former; for every Master is supposed to intruft his affairs as well to the care as the honefty of his Servant; for 'twould be little advantage to the Mafter to be fecured that his Servant would not himself cheat him, whilft, in the mean time, he would by his carelefnefs give opportunity to others to do it. There fore he that does not carefully look to his Mafter's profit, deceives his truft, as well as he that unjustly provides for his own.

buke.

27. A third Duty of a Servant is patience submifi and meeknefs under the reproofs of his Ma-nt Re fter, not answering again, as the Apostle exhorts, Tit. ii. 9. that is, not making fuch furly and rude replies, as may increase the Mafter's difpleasure, a thing too frequent among Servants, even in the jufteft reprehenfions; whereas St. Peter directs them patiently to suffer even the most undeferved correction, even when they do well, and fuffer for it, 1 Pet. ii. 20. But the patient fuffering of Rebuke

Sunday Rebuke is not all that is required of Servants XV. in this matter: They muft alfo mend the

fault they are rebuked for, and not think they have done enough, when they have (though never fo dutifully) given the Master the hearing.

Diligence. 28. A fourth Duty of a Servant is Diligence. He muft constantly attend to all those things which are the Duties of his place, and not give himself to idleness and sloth, nor yet to company-keeping, gaming, or any other diforderly courfe, which may take him off from his Mafter's bufinefs. All these are neceffary Duties of a Servant, which they are carefully and confcionably to perform, not so much to escape the Master's anger, as God's, who will certainly call every one of them to an account, how they have behaved themfelves towards their earthly Masters.

Mafters

owe to

29. Now, on the other fide, there are some their Ser things alfo owing from the Masters to their pants. Ju-Servants: As first, the Mafter is bound to

Admoni

Pion.

be just to them, in performing those conditions on which they were hired; fuch are commonly the giving them food and wages: And that Mafter that withholds these, is an oppreffor.

30. Secondly, The Mafter is to admonish and reprove the Servant in cafe of fault; and that not only in faults against them, wherein few Mafters are backward; but also and more efpecially in faults against God, whereat eve

ry

ry Mafter ought to be more troubled, than at Sunday those which tend only to his own lofs or in- XV convenience; the difhonour of God, and the hazard of the meaneft man's foul, being infinitely more worthy our difquiet, than any thing of the other kind can be. And therefore, when Mafters are prefently on fire for any little negligence or fault of a Servant towards themselves, and yet can without trouble fee them run into the greatest fins against God, 'tis a fign they confider their own concernments too much, and God's glory and their Servants fouls too little. This is tco commonly the temper of Masters; they are generally carelefs how their Servants behave themfelves towards God, how disorderly and profane their families are; and therefore never beftow any Exhortation or Admonition to perfuade them to virtue, or draw them from vice: Such Mafters forget that they must one day give an account, how they have governed their families. It is certainly the Duty of every ruler, to endeavour to advance piety and godliness among all thofe that are under his charge; and that as well in this leffer dominion of a family, as in the greater of a realm or nation. Of this David was fo careful, that we fee he profeffes, Pfal. ci. 7. That no deceitful perfon should dwell in his house; that he that told lyes, should not tarry in his fight. So much he thought himfelf bound to provide, that his family might

Sunday be a kind of Church, an affembly of godly, XV. upright perfons: And if all Masters would endeavour to have theirs fo, they would, befides the eternal reward of it hereafter, find a prefent benefit by it; their worldly business would thrive much the better; for if their Servants were brought to make conscience of their ways, they would then not dare either to be negligent or false.

Good Examples.

Means of

31. But as it is the Duty of Mafters to admonifh and reprove their Servants, fo they muft alfo look to do it in a due manner, that is, fo as may be most likely to do good; not in paffion and rage, which can never work the Servant to any thing but the defpifing or hating him; but with fuch fober and grave speeches, as may convince him of his fault, and may alfo aflure him, that it is a kind defire of his amendment (and not a willingness to wreck his own rage) which makes the Master thus to rebuke him.

32. A third Duty of the Master is to fet a good Example of honefty and godlinefs to his Servants, without which 'tis not all the exhortations or reproofs he can use, will ever do good; or elfe he pulls down more with his Example, than 'tis poffible for him to build with the other: And 'tis madness for a drunken or profane Mafter to expect a fober and godly family.

33. Fourthly, The Mafter is to provide Infruti that his Servants may not want Means of be

on

ing inftructed in their Duty, as also that they Sunday may daily have conftant times of worshipping XV. God publickly, by having prayers in the family. But of this I have fpoken before, under the head of Prayer, and therefore fhall here fay no more of it.

on in Com

34. Fifthly, The Mafter, in all affairs of his Moderatiown, is to give reasonable and moderate Com-mad mands, not laying greater burdens on his Servants, than they are able to bear, particularly, not requiring fo much work, that they fhall have no time to bestow on their fouls as, on the other fide, he is not to permit them to live fo idly, as may make them.either useless to him, or may betray themselves to any ill.

;

Encou

ragement

35. Sixthly, The Mafter is to give his Servants Encouragement in Well-doing, by ufing them with that bounty and kindness, which doing. their faithfulness, and diligence, and piety deferves; and finally in all his dealing with them, he is to remember, that himself hath, as the Apoftle faith, Ephef. vi. 6.a Mafter in Heaven, to whom he muft give an account of the ufage of his meanest Servant on earth.

Thus have I briefly run through those several relations, to which we owe particular Duty; and fo have done with that firft branch of Duty to our Neighbours, that of Justice.