against which more judgments more curses are denounced or which is represented more detestable to God than Lying Lips a Lying Tongue a spiteful and a malicious Heart There is indeed a sort of Lying by way of Recrimination and Self-defence which is generally thought to have something of extenuation in it and something indeed it has but not enough to excuse it for the best that can be said of it is this it may sometimes have something less of Malice and habitual Rancour but it has never less of falsehood and injustice and therefore is vile and dishonourable in the sight of Man and damnable in the sight of God One sort of Injustice more I must just touch upon and that is Envy weak and base minds are extreamly subject to this such as are too sluggish to have any Merit and too self-conceited to see their want of it these and these only are apt to be envious and such a one will count every excellence in his Fellow-Servant a disparagement to himself and every favour vouchsafed another an injury to him And this stirs him up to detract from anothers good Service and to supplant anothers interest by all imaginable Arts which shews the hainousness of this Crime consisting in the utmost contradiction to Justice and Charity but this sin is so great a Plague and Torment to ones self that methinks there needs few motives to persuade men not to entertain it or to get rid of it Thus much I thought necessary to speak of this Duty of the Justice of Servants towards one another and were this well observ'd this would lay a sure Foundation for Charity and this again for Mutual Assistance and Concord for if you would not wrong one another either in word or deed all occasions of debate and contention would be cut off It were very happy for you your selves and for your Masters and Mistresses if you could advance thus far if you could come up to the pitch of honest Heathens but this is not enough to make you perfect Christians there 's something more requir'd of you if you 'l be the Disciples of our dear Lord and Master than meerly not to do wrong I will proceed therefore to the second Duty of Servants towards one another namely Charity I need not insist on the necessity of this grace in general Mutual Charity between Servants you well enough know you cannot be saved without it the heart that is void of love is void of God for * 1 John God is Love if you be destitute of Charity you cannot be the Children of God or the Disciples of Christ 1 John 4.20 If a man say I love God and hateth his Brother he is a Lyar. And our Saviour saith hereby shall I know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another This is an irresistible motive to every one that believes and weighs it but there are others which being more peculiar to your state ought to prove strong engagements to it for instance how uncomfortable must strife and hatred render your service it must needs be extremely troublesom to be condemn'd to the company and conversation of those you cannot endure nor will this only bereave you of the pleasure you would take in one another but of the assistance you would afford each other if you did love as Brethren nor is this all your discontents do generally rebound upon those above you and you grow by degrees as uneasy and unacceptable to your Masters and Mistresses as you are to one another nay any discreet man tho' he could brook the trouble of your quarrels and discontents yet to deliver himself from the disparagement scandal of 'em will judge himself obliged to discard all peevish contentious Servants what over other good qualities they may have And then another ill consequence is you lose your good name and lie under such odious characters that being cast out of one house no other will receive you for who can be fond of noise and mischief This little if it be seriously consider'd is sufficient to convince you of your obligation to Charity and Brotherly affection towards one another I will now go on to shew you in what instances you must express this affection having first only put you in mind that your Charity must be real and not feigned that you must love not in word but in deed and in truth for Hypocrisie and Dissimulation is as sinful and mischievous and in common account at least more odious and despicable than professed hatred or open contention Having premised this I proceed there are two waies by which you are to express your mutual Charity First by the mutual assistance you are to afford each other Secondly by preserving constant peace and unity amongst your selves 1. If you be possessed with Charity towards one another it will shew it self in the good turns you will do one another in the assistance you will yield to each other and here sure the Soul of your fellow-Servant deserves your aid in the first place if he be ignorant unacquainted with Religion and not only so but incapable through the meanness of his education to inform himself in it by reading for if he be not ignorant but what is worse viciously inclined if he know God but do not fear nor glorifie him as he ought you cannot do God or him a more eminent service than by endeavouring to instruct and inform him reading to him and teaching him to read or by endeavouring to convince his Conscience of his Duty and to make him sensible of the necessity and happiness of a Religious and holy life Next to the ignorance of Religion and Immorality a Servant's ignorance in his business requires your compassion and aid and what help you afford him in this is a work of excellent Charity in you and ought to be acknowledg'd not only by your fellow-Servant but your Master too as an obligation for 't is a Real benefit to both To be brief if you 'l behave your selves with that goodness gentleness and sweetness that may evidence your love to one another you must in a literal sense bear one anothers burthens you must pardon and forgive one another's infirmities you must excuse and conceal one anothers Errours unless they be such as imply manifest unfaithfulness to your Master in which case they are no longer Errours and Frailties but Crimes Concord which was the second instance of Charity I recommended to you is the natural result of all this For these mutual Assistances and Obligations can never miss of preserving a right Understanding and nourishing a sincere Friendship between you but yet because Concord must be preserv'd where Friendship sometimes cannot and you must wish well to and carry your selves fairly towards some Servants whom you cannot fancy whom you cannot take any complacency or delight in therefore I will say something of this I need say nothing more to convince you of the necessity of Concord than
presence but I do also loath and detest my sin O deliver me from it aid me by thy blessed Spirit that I may conquer and subdue all my corrupt affections O let that Spirit which was in Jesus be in me also that the life of Jesus may be seen in all my actions and the image of Jesus may be form'd in my Soul and my conversation may be in Heaven and here O Lord I offer up and devote to thee even my Soul and my body resolving to live a life of Devotion a life of Justice and Charity a life of Meekness and Humility a life of Industry and Watchfulness a life of Purity and Sobriety O Lord strengthen me O Lord establish me by the might of thy Spirit by the power of thy Word by the protection of thy Povidence that I may persevere and be faithful unto the end and so obtain a Crown of Righteousness through Jesus Chirst our Lord. 3dly The Exercise of Charity O my my God thou hast taught me by thy holy Word that thou art love that he only who dwelleth in love dwelleth in thee and accordingly I do find that thou art long-suffering and merciful that thou fillest even the Wicked and thine Enemies with thy goodness and O my blessed Savour and Redeemer I find that in this also thou art the express Image of thy Father and the brightness of his glory for thou camest from Heaven to Earth to die for thine Enemies to reconcile man to God first and then to reconcile and endear us all to one another and has taught us that we cannot be thy Disciples unless we love one another I do therefore most readily forgive all those that have wronged me either by word or deed I do from my heart readily pardon all those who have or do wish me evil or who endeavour or design me any I do earnestly desire to be the Child of my Heavenly Father and the Disciple of my dear Master in this point and therefore being jealous lest my reconciliation should not be sincere or perfect enough I do firmly purpose upon every opportunity to express my Charity towards mine Enemies my acts of Love and Kindness and lest after all I should not be zealous enough to promote that Love and Unity which is so dear and acceptable to my God and my Saviour lest I should not throughly coppy out the Divine pattern that is set me I will not only with unfeigned Humility and Affliction of Soul confess my offence make reparation and beg pardon for any wrong I have done others but I will wooe and importune those who have wrong'd me into a reconciliation For how well must this become me when God himself courts and beseeches the sinner and the Son of God Preach't and Prayed and Wept and Died for those who were irreconcileably set against him To be us'd by such as are conscious of Undutifulness towards their Governours and O my God I do now call to mind how unkindly how unchristianly I have behaved my self towards those who are my Governours in Church and State I have often made false slanderous and spightful reflections upon 'em and have aided and countenanced others in the like I cannot make to them a Personal Acknowledgment of my offences nor sue to 'em in particular for the pardon of 'em Here therefore before thee my God and my Judge whom I have hereby offended I do confess and bewail my sin and folly humbly imploring thy pardon and the assistance of thy Grace that I may henceforth walk in Christian Charity towards those who are my Governours thy Ministers for my good not only forbearing all Disloyalty Disobedience Malice and Uncharitableness my self but also discountenancing and opposing it in all others as far as in me lies O thou God of Love fill me with thy Divine Spirit fill me with Brotherly Affection and with a Fervent Zeal for the good of my Neighbour nor suffer me ever to be wanting according to my capacity to increase the happiness of the Prosperous and the Pious or to relieve the misery of the Afflicted and the Sinner But O my God whilst I pray for a Spirit of Love towards my Neighbour I must not forget to beg and beg earnestly that by the same Spirit thou wouldst shed abroad the Love of thee my God in my Heart O Let me ever remember the great things which thou hast done for me O Let me ever think upon the Patience and Long-suffering which thou hast exercised towards me above all let my Soul ever adore and love and bless thee that thou hast given thine own Son out of thy Bosom to die for me and for all Mankind that whoever believed on him might not perish but have Everlasting Life And O let me ever love and glorifie that Son of thy Bosom who hast loved me and given himself for me and washt me from my sins in his own Blood and O may I ever express this my Love by a frequent Commemoration of it by Devout Addresses to thee my God by a Devout Zeal for thy Glory and the propagation of the Kingdom of my Saviour Amen Amen Fourthly The Exercise of Hope After all these reflections which I have made upon my sinfulness and the Divine goodness upon my guilt and the atonement and satisfaction wrought by the Blood of Jesus I find that as the consideration of the one begets sorrow so doth the consideration of the other beget hope in me and I find the trouble of my Soul clear up into Christian Peace and Comfort My past sins indeed and my present unworthiness fill me with grief and shame and reproach of Conscience but there are other things that lift me up from the Earth that wipe away my Tears and remove the Garments of my mourning and fill my Soul with chearfulness and delightsome expectations such are these when I consider the Divine Nature I am assured that God delights not in the death of a Sinner but delights in exercising Loving-kindness Righteousness and Mercy upon Earth When I consider the death of Jesus I am well assured that it is a full perfect and sufficient Sacrifice Oblation and Satisfaction for my sins and the sins of the whole World when I lastly consider the tenour of the Gospel-Covenant as 't is publisht to the World by the Son of God and his Followers I find contain'd in it pardon of sins to all repenting and believing Sinners without Restriction without Limitation without Exception of any Person or Reservation of any case * Math. 11.28 Come unto me all that travail and are heavy laden and I will refresh you * John 3.16 So God loved the World that he gave his only Begotten Son to the end that all that believe in him should not perish but have Everlasting Life * 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a true saying and worthy of all Men to be received That Christ Jesus came into the World to save Sinners * 1 John 2.1 If any Man sin we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins And now I lift up my Heart O Lord unto thee I approach near thee and Sacrifice to thee in the joy of hope and thankfulness For tho' I do not presume to come to this thy Table trusting in my own Righteousness yet I do firmly trust in the multitude of thy Mercies I know I am not of my self worthy to gather up the Crumbs under thy Table yet I do with all know that the Son of God has died for Sinners and that thou art the same Lord whose property is ever to have Mercy I do not therefore doubt but I shall be a welcome and acceptable tho' in my self an unworthy Guest to this Table and being assisted by thy Grace shall so eat the Flesh of thy Son Jesus Christ and drink his Blood that my sinful Body shall be made clean by his Body and my Soul washed through his most precious Blood and I shall evermore dwell in him and he in me Amen Amen Aug. 5. 1685. Imprimatur Liber cui Titulus The Duty of Servants c. H. Maurice R mo D no. W mo Arch po Cant. a sacris â—INIS There is lately published by the same Author a Book intituled An Enqutry after Happiness c.
his Commandments are not grievous the same is true of the Service of Man the burden of it is very light if Love help to bear it for how natural is it for a Servant to obey when he is as fond of the Love of his Master as of his own Interest and how natural to be faithful when he loves his Masters Interest as his own He will abhor to see him wrong'd in his Goods or disturb'd or disquieted in his Mind since if he loves him he cannot but in every evil that befalls him suffer with him how sacred will such a Servant esteem the Honour of his Master How much will he be concern'd for the Virtue of his Children the good behaviour of his fellow-servants and the success of his Enterprizes in the World Such a Servant will not stand upon Punctilioes and nicely weigh his Duty by grains and scruples but he will think all his Duty whatever it be wherein he can serve his Master And whatever he does he will perform with that delight that care and chearfulness that one would think that he were like Eliezer to Abraham rather an Heir of his Master's blessing and his own labours than an hired Servant such a one will not stay to expect commands where his Master's interest requires his Service much less will he be solicitous which way he may be excused from his Duty for he accounts nothing more disingenious than to stand in need of an excuse Finally how easy will it be for such a Servant to receive direction humbly to bear any infirmity of his Master patiently to answer respectfully to remember heedfully to reform carefully and to do all out of singleness of Heart How many and great the advantages of this Virtue are both to the Master and to the Servant both in point of credit and delight both in point of Religion and Interest is very easy to be discern'd the Master will have his business done and that very prosperously he sees nothing miscarry under the hands of his Servant he hears no discontent nor contention in his Family he sees that his Servant is a good example and guide to his whole Houshold in a word he meets with nothing to displease him when at home nor is he disturb'd by any suspicions or fears when abroad for he can as entirely confide in his Servant's Faith and Affection as in himself how will such a man be ready like him who bought Diogenes to run out into the Exchange and Market to publish to the World that a Guardian Angel is come into his House Without any Amplification of the matter such a Master if he be not savage and insolent as well as stupid must confess that he enjoys a great blessing that he cannot set too high a value upon his Servant and by consequence he is in Honour and Justice bound not only to treat him with courteous words and kind looks but to reward him too and this cannot but tend to the honour and interest of the Servant which cannot but reflect advantagiously upon the Master for to have good Servants and to do well for 'em is I think in the opinion of judicious men no small argument of a good and wise man But to proceed not only the credit and interest but even the content and Religion of Families is highly concern'd in the love and Duty of Servants for Love is the Parent of Unity and Peace and it Nurses up the Children it brings forth it maintains and preserves the quiet which it procures and in a Family where Charity and Contentment reign where order and peace dwell how necessarily must Religion thrive and flourish They will watch over and assist one another they will affectionately give and meekly receive advice they will not want time for Religious Duties nor a sedate composure of mind to make the best use of that time no one 's Prayers and Reading will be rendred useless through discontent and distraction No one will be kept back from the Sacrament by confusion of business or disturbance of mind If all this be put together I need not trouble you with many motives or inducements to this Duty of Love for what greater blessings can a Servant desire than those are which this gives him 'T is a help to him in the performance of his Duty lightens the burden of his Service it gives him the love of his Master and the Family peace at home credit and reputation abroad both which are the most solid foundations of a Servant's interest imaginable unless it be the favour of God and this behaviour gives him a right claim to that too for whatever is a work of Religion as this indeed is whatever procures men more opportunities of grace and whatever prepares and disposes 'em for the best use of 'em must needs very much promote our Heavenly Interest and I have sufficiently made it out that all these are the blessed fruits of this Duty To all which I will add but one consideration more to convince you of your obligation to it which is this that you cannot without monstrous ingratitude be guilty of the contrary Do you think that you owe no affection to your Master and Mistress who have receiv'd you into their House reposed a confidence and trust in you who are very solicitous to inform and instruct you who not only bear long with your Ignorance but wink at many other infirmities in you who provide for you in your health and are tender of you in your sickness who are desirous to oblige and encourage you and rejoice when you behave your selves so as to deserve it Is there nothing due to 'em for their compassion for your Souls for their watchfulness over your manners for their care in providing for you spiritual as well as bodily food You cannot be guilty of hating or despising these who have deserved so well of you nay you cannot be guilty of what is less the not loving 'em but you must be profligately ingrateful you must be stupid and base to a degree that bruitish Creatures have never yet been guilty of For the Ox knows his Owner and the Ass his Master's Crib Nay there is no beast of the Field or of the Desart so fierce and salvage but he has been tamed and obliged too by repeated courtesies and benefits A General Prayer relating to the Duties of this Chapter O Holy and Just God I know that without Holiness it is impossible for me to please thee here or to enjoy thee hereafter I beseech thee therefore that my understanding may be so enlightened my Conscience convinced and my whole Heart enflamed with the love of Holiness that I may be Holy in all manner of Conversation Beget in me a most tender and lively sense of the great Duties of Obedience Justice and Charity which I owe to my Master that I governing my self by these in all my actions I may in my Station advance the Honour of God the Contentment and Interest of my
Temptations of the Family you are in let not the Authority of great examples delude or deceive thee let not any prospect of Interest insnare thee let not the solicitations of thy fellow Servants perswade thee let no opportunity betray thee into sin for thou dost purchase thy profit or the favour of man at too dear a rate if by the loss of thy Virtue thy Soul thy Heaven thy God Never be ashamed of singularity where thou canst not be virtuous unless singular * Eccles 4.20 21 22. Observe the Opportunity and beware of evil and be not ashamed when it concerns thy Soul for there is a shame that bringeth sin and there is a shame which is glory and grace Accept no person against thy Soul and let not the Reverence of any man cause thee to fall For thou mayest assure thy self that Virtue is never more honourable than when it stands the shock of Temptations and despises the allurements of Opportunity and that whatever profit or honour sin may flatter thee with it will prove shame and bitterness in the latter end Thirdly besides the practice of Religion in private and the frequenting the Sacrament in publick as often as you have Opportunity you must conscientiously attend to Family-Duties for this peradventure is the only Rule by which your Master will measure your esteem for Religion and your esteem for Religion is the only thing or at least the main thing by which he will judg of your Truth and Faithfulness Not that this should be your first and chief motive to it for that must be not the opinion of others concerning you but the Honour of God and the improvement of your Soul There lies upon you more than common Obligations to these Duties for your absenting your selves from 'em is not only a slight put upon the Worship and Truths of God but also an Act of Disobedience to your Master In the second place the meaner your Education is the more ought you to covet these opportunities of instruction and the less your time for Religion is which you are often wont to pretend at least the more carefully ought you to embrace this time of Worshipping God Thus much of the First thing wherein the interest of a Servant doth consist which is his Credit or Reputation The Second is the affection which his Master and others bear towards him of which now And here 't is certain that the surest Foundation of this affection or love is the merit of your Service The Affection of the Master how attain'd a Faithful that is honest and careful discharge of your Duty but besides this there are some qualities that do more immediately tend to recommend and endear a Servant such are First an humble and chearful temper which always puts 'em forward even beyond the bounds of their indispensible Duty makes 'em ready to undertake even more than they are bound to if they think it tends in the least either to the interest or satisfaction of their Master and in doing this they must appear glad of the opportunity desirous of purchasing their Masters favour at any rate and this is such an obliging temper that 't is almost impossible to fancy a Master so stupid or ungrateful as not to take notice of Love and Reward such a Servant Secondly He that will win the affection of those he serves must make it appear that he loves 'em he must rejoyce in every good that befalls 'em and be afflicted in every evil he must be extreamly tender of creating 'em trouble or disturbance not so much out of the fear of any damage growing from it as out of a filial delight in their satisfaction and a filial affliction in their trouble besides all this he must always speak well and kindly of 'em he must look upon it as a lucky accident when ever he has opportunity to check the ingratitude of a Fellow-Servant towards 'em or to vindicate their Reputation against the calumnies of a Stranger and if he will take my advice he must not only speak well of his present but his former Master For I can hardly be persuaded that a Servant will speak well of me when gone from me who speaks ill of him whom he served before but if there be nothing good which he can speak of him yet at least let him never speak any ill of him unless he be unavoidably forced to it Nor let the Servant only speak well of his former Master but let him serve him to the utmost of his power for gratitude to a former is the Servants highest merit with his present Master Lastly That the Servant who desires to be belov'd keep at the greatest distance he can from all sorts of quarrels and contests in the Family let him never make any himself nor be a party in those made by others and let him be so far from insinuating himself into those things which his Superiors or any others would keep secret that on the contrary he must rather fly from the knowledge of a secret which others would disclose to him unless they have some good use to make of his trust all this that I have here directed I would have performed not with art and skill but sincerity for a Servant cannot counterfeit an obliging temper long if he do not endeavour to possess himself really of it He must endeavour to love his Master truly and heartily or else it will be very hard for him to make a good shew of that love which he has not and he must be finally endow'd with an humble and quiet spirit or else it will be a very difficult task for him to stand neuter amidst the quarrels of others and to close his Eyes and Ears against the secrets news and tattle which most are so naturally inquisitive after The third thing on which the interest of a Servant depends is the profit or gain of his Place The Servants Profit how advanced And here I need not tell you that a Faithful discharge of your Duty serves most to promote this for this as you have seen gains you affection at home and credit abroad and the Master will certainly give most countenance and encouragement as far as he is able to the Servant he loves best and every Member of the Family will favour and assist such a one as far as they can and if there be no ground for a rational expectation of reward from those he serves his own credit will in a little time open the way to it an extraordinary Virtue can be no more conceal'd than the Light the meanest and most private Imployment is Theatre enough to an excellent Person but what is most considerable of all he that serves faithfully in any Station has God for his Spectator and Patron There is therefore one thing only which I am to put you in mind of and that is that you be good Husbands of what you gain I mean that you do not wast and lavish it out in