every Mafter ought to be more troubled, than Sunday at those which tend only to his own Lofs or XV. Inconvenience; the Dishonour of God, and the Hazard of the meaneft Man's Soul, being infinitely more worthy our Difquiet, than any thing of the other kind can be. And therefore, when Mafters are presently on fire, for any little Negligence or Fault of a Servant towards themselves, and yet can without Trouble fee them run into the greatest Sins against Godtis a Sign they confider their ownConcernments too much, and God's Glory and their Servant's Soul too little. This is too commonly the Temper of Masters, they are generally careless how their Servants behave themselves towards God, how difordered and prophane their Families are, and therefore never beftow any Exhortation, or Admonition, to perfwade them to Vertue, or draw them from Vice fuch 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 Godlinefs among all thofe that are under his Charge, and that as well 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 Houfe; that he that told Lyes fhould not tarry in his Sight: fo much he thought himself bound to provide, that his Family might Z 2 Sunday might be a kind of Church, an Affembly of XV. godly upright Perfons: And if all Mafters would endeavour to have theirs fo, they would, befides the eternal Reward of it hereafter, find a prefent Benefit by it; their Worldly Bufinefs would thrive much the better; for if their Servants were brought to make Confcience of their Ways, they would then not dare either to be Negligent or False. Good Ex ; 31. But as it is the Duty of Masters to admonith and reprove their Servants, so they must also 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 also affure him, that it is a kind Defire of his Amendment (and not a Willingness to wreck his own Rage) which makes the Mafter thus to rebuke him. 32 A Third Duty of the Mafter, is, to fet ample. good Examples of Honefty and Godliness to his Servants; without which, 'tis not all the Exhortations and 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 prophane Master to expect a sober and godly Family. Means of 33. Fourthly, The Mafter is to provide Inructi- that his Servants may not want Means of on. being inftructed in their Duty, as also that Sunday they may dayly have conftant Times of Wor- XV. thipping God publickly, by having Prayers in the Family; But of this I have spoken before under the Head of Prayer, and therefore fhall here fay no more of it. on in Com 34. Fifthly, The Master, in all Affairs of his Moderatiown, is to give reasonable and moderate Commands. mands, not laying greater Burthens on his Servants than they are able to bear; particularly requiring fo much Work, that they fhall have no Time to bestow on their Souls; 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. ragement 35 Sixthly, The Mafter is to give his Ser-Encou vants 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. 9. a Master in Heaven, to whom he muft give an Account of the Ufage of his meaneft Servant on Earth. Thus have I briefly run through those feveral Relations, to which we owe particular Duty, and fo have done with that first Branch of Duty to our Neighbours, that of Justice. Sunday Charity. In the Af SUNDAY XVI. Other Branches of our Duty to our Neighbour: Credit. Sect. I. T HE Second Branch of Duty to our Neighbour is Charity, ord Love. This is the great Gofpel Duty fo often enjoyn'd us by Chrift; the New Commandment, as himfelf calls it, John xiii. 34. That ye love one another; and this is again repeated twice in one Chapter, John xv. 12, 17. and the First Epistle of St. John is almoft wholly spent in the Perfwafion of this one Duty; by which we may fee it is no matter of Indifference, but moft ftrictly required of all that profefs Chrift. Indeed, himself has given it as the Badge and Livery of his Difciples, John xiii. 25. By this fhall all Men know that ye are my Difciples, if ye have Love one to another. This Charity may be confider'd Two fections. Ways: First, in refpect of the Affections; Secondly, of the Actions. Charity in the Af fections, is a fincere Kindness, which difpofes us to wifh all Good to others, and that in all their Capacities, in the fame manner that Juftice obligeth us to wifh no Hurt to any Man, in refpect either of his Soul, his Body, his Goods, or his Credit; fo this firft part of Charity Charity binds us to wifh all Good to them in sunday all thefe.. ་་ XVI. And Firft, For the Soul. If we have any To Mens the leaft fpark of Charity, we cannot but with Souls. all Good to Mens Souls; thofe precious Things which Chrift thought worth the ranfoming with his own Blood, may furely well challenge our Kindness and good Wishes; and therefore if we do not thús love one another, we are far from obeying that Command of loving as he hath loved; for it was the Souls of Men which he loved fo tenderly, and both did and fuffered fo much for. Of this Love of his to Souls, there are Two great and fpecial Effects: The firft, the Purifying them here by his Grace; the fecond, the making them everlastingly happy in his Glory: And both these we are fo far to copy out in our Kindness, as to be earnestly defirous that all Men fhould arrive to that Purity and Holiness here, which may make them capable of Eternal Happiness hereafter. It were to be hoped, that none, that himself carried a Soul about him, could be fo cruel to that of another Man's, as not fincerely to wish this, did not Experience fhew us, there are fome Perfons whofe Malice is fo devilish, as to reach even to the direct contrary; the wifhing not only the Sin, but the Danination of others. Thus may you have fome, who, in any Injury or Oppreffion they fuffer, make it their only Comfort, that their Enemies will damn them 7 4 |