T!Je Duties of Servants; liM fin, and none of yours : God will not be offended with you for on~ther:r fauirs, bot for your own; nor for being wronged, but for doing wroug ; And its beuer futfcr the greatc:fl: wrong, than offend God by ·comm~ning the: {mallett fin. . . . . . . s5· 5 . Direct. 5· Be trt<e a~tdfaJtbfulm aUthat ucommltttd to your trufl : Dt{p?{e >lot of any thtng Dirtli• S• .tbat ; 1 J'rmr MajhrJ without hi1 cunfrnt : Though you may think it never {Q [cafonable, _or well done, yet rcmembn that it is none of your own; If you would relieve the poor, or plcafc a fellow~(ervanr, or do a kindnefs to a neighbour, do it of;·our own, an~ not of anotheu, _unlefs you have h~s allowance. Bt: as thrifty fOr your Mafiers, as you would be (or y~urfdVcs~ wane no more ofhts goods, rhan you would do if it were your own. S1y not as falfc (ervants ~o, my M•.fier is rich. enough, and ir will do him no harm, and therefore we may make bold, and not be fo fparmg and mggardly. The qllcflion is nor, What be fhould do, .bur whar you 01ould do. If you. take any of you~ ridi neighbours goods or m~Jney, to give to t~'e poor, you m1y b~ han~rd .as !lw.vcs, as well as 1f you fiolc it for your [elves. To take any th1ng of anethe1s agamtl h1s Will, IS to rob or Ileal: Let the wlm: be m.vcr fo finall, if it be but rhe worth of a penny, that you Heal or dtfraud another of, thefin is not lina\l : N.~oy, it aggravareth the tin that you will prefume to break Gods L1w for fue:~ arrirl~,and venture your foul for ri> fm11l a thing: Though it be taken from one that may never {o well fparc it, duts no excufe to you: it is none of yours. Specially let thofe ft:rvants think of this that are trufkd with buying and felling, or with provifions. If you defraud )'OUr MaHers becaufc you can c0nceal it; believe ir, God that knoweth it will rev~al it : And if you repent of it, you mufi make rdHwtion of all that ever y~u thus rob,d them of, if you .have any thing w do it with : And if you have , atbing, you rnufi wHh forrow and fhamt: conttfs lt to thc:m, and ask for.: givcntfs: But if you Repent nor, you mull ply dearer for it in Hdl, than this c?'Tle.s t.o. O~j:et. But did not theLord commrnd the tmjufi Steward l Luke 16. 8. A11[w. Yes, for h1s wit m pn?v1dmg for himftlf, bllt not tor his unjttjhzeji. H~ only teacherh you there, that if the wick~d worldlings_ have wit to provide for this life, much more fhould you have the wit to make provifion for the life tO come. Iris {lliiiJjid,ufi that is a Stewards ducy. 1 Cnr. 4· 2· ~· 6. Direct. 6. f-lo~tour y 1ur Majieu, .md behave _yo~tr {elvu tow;rdJ them with that r_cfpcD and re- Dird1. 6. vtrmce at your pltJCr! requiNtb. B..:havenot your fdves rudely or comcmpruoul1ytowa1·ds them_, in fi..xiJd.w.u. word or deed. B~· not fo proud as to difdain to keep the difiance and reverence which is due. You 0111 1 J·7· Chould fcornrobe[trv..mtt, if you fcornto btbave your ftlves as ferVlnts. Give them not fawcy, Provoking or contemptuous language : not wording it out with them in bold contending, aAd jufiifying );our fclves when your faults arc reprehended. M.uk the ApoHles words, Tit. 2. 9, Io. Exhort [erv:mtt tobe obedient to their OWII MajierJ, and to plea[e them weU in aY things , not an[wering ag.iin: not purloyniug, bnt jhcwing flU good fidelity, that they may adt~rn the dollrint ofGod our Saviour ·;H aU tbings. And I Tim. 6. I, 2, 3, 4• Let aJ many {trvants as are under the yoJte co~tnt their own Majler1 worthy of aY honour ( yea, though they were Infidel~ or poor ) t'hat the name gfGod t~nd hii doUrine be 111t bt,{phemed (For wicked men will [.~y, Is this your Religion? when fcrvants profeffing Religio11, are dili:>Dcdicnt, unreverent, and unfaithful. ) And they tbat l1ave belicvi11g Majltrl, let them not dF[p~(e tbtm bccaufi they art brethren, bt,t r.zther do them {ervice becatt[e they art faith[Hl and. beloved part:J~trs of the be;ufit. 1be[t thing1 teach and exhort: if airy man teacb otherwi{t, and con- {t~tt not to wbol{ome words---/;e is pro11d, Jtnowing nothing-- , 1 ~· 7· ?~r~ct. ?· Go not unwiUi~n_g!y or murmuringly abo1t1 your bufvuji, but. tabJ it atyuu_r delight. DittO. 1 : An unwilling nund, dot_h lofe Gudt reward, --and mans acceptance. Grudgmg and unw1llingnef~ maketh y~.ur work of l1rtlc value, be ir never fo well done. Do [ervict hlartily, andwithgaod wi.U as to tbt L~>rd, Eph. 6 7· Col. j 23. s5· 8. Direct. S. Obey your M•jl;, in aU things (which God forbidde~h nor, and Which their . place cnablcth them to command you: ) a!fd Jet not your own conctits ond wiU1 againft theit com· D~rell. 8 · mand1. lt is not obedience, if you wi,ll Elo no more of I heir comm:mds, than what agreeth wi{h ACts 1 • · 7 ' your own opinions and wills. What if you think another W':3-Y bell, or another work bel\, or ano· ther timebdl? Are you to govern or obey ? If the work be nor yours but at;~others, Jet his will and not yours be fu itiHed, and do his fervice in his own way. It is Gods command, Col. 3· 22· Serv;m 1 obty your M:1jlers in all thing1. 9 9· DirLCl:.9. RevcaJ not aJty of the flcr'tls ofyo~tr Mafttrt, or of thtf.Jmily. Talk not to others Direil. 9• of what is f:~.id or done at home: Be not over familiar at other mens houfcs, where you t.nay be Prov. 15. rj. tempted to talk of your Maficrs bufindTes: Many words may have mifchievous efftcts, which were 8c 11 • ·~· well intended. Th:H fervant is unfit for a wife mans family, that hath fome familiar •broad, ro & 10 " 19'· whom he mull tell all that he heareth or f,erh at home: 1-'or his famili.Jr hath ttnother familiar, and fo a man !hall be betrayed by thofe of his own houfhold, MiciJ. 7· 6. as Chritl by Judx. . §. IO· Grudge not at tht meanmfs of t~e provijions of tbt family. lf you have nor that which is Direfl. 1 o~ ll!Ld(ul eo your btaltb, ronovc to another place as foon as you can, without tepr01ching the place where you arc. But ~f r~:u have your d.zily bread, that is, your ntcrffary rrholfomt food- how courfc foc:ver, your murmurmg tor want of more delicious fare, is but ycur fhamr, and fhc...,~th that your PhiI. 1.18,r9.~ ...heartt arc {unk into your bellies, and that you are flt!hly minded perfons• . ~- 1 I· DinCl:. 1J, ~ray d.~i!y for a b!cffing. on _your l.Jbou:s and on tht family, both pri-va_ttiy &;td Dirrli. 11 • wuh th~ rtjl. A pray1~~ fervant may prev.nl Wlth God, for more than all their labour cometh to. And then labAurs an; hkt:r to be blefftd, than the labours of a prayerlefs ungodly per{i:>Q. You are n?t worthy to p11.1 take of the mercin of· the famil)•, if yqu will not joyn in prayers for thofe mcrctes. ~- " '
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