Fifth Commandment. 157 table, but I muft do~bt, that if .the fa~e Judgment were infl~Cted upon c\rcry Servant that comes to Ius Mafter with a lying_Excufe,. everyFam_1ly would be infected, ~nd very few in this Rela~ion efcape t~a~ loathfom ~on~ag'.?ll·. Certai.nJy, it is Only a cowardly, bafe, Oavifh l!ear that tnduceth one to this VJLe Sm of Lytng. And what? Wilt thou be more afratd to offend thy Mafter by confeffing a Fault, than to o.ffi:nd thy God by committing another to conceal it? What elfc is this, but to heap up Sin upon Sin, and to make a fin_gle Tranfgreffion to become two thereby? A Sin the moft odious unto God, who IS Truth lt felf, and ufually moft detectable to Men, and with difficulty pardonable by them; for it impu tes a great deal.of Folly and Ignorance to them, as fuch who are fo weak ~ha£ they cannot find out the mat .. P{.tl, 101 • ter. And therefore the Pfalmift faith, He that telleth Lyes, jha/J tJot tarry in my fight. 7• Seventhly Another Duty of Servants (and it is the laft I lh.all mention) is to ferve their Mafrc~s with good W_il1, a~d in finglenefS of their Hearts; not grudgingly, ? · as of Conftraint, for that IS fiavlfh, but read1ly and chearfully as unto the Lord. Not as Men-pleafers, only with Eye-fervice, beii_Ig no longer dilig~nt than. their Mafter's Eye is upon them, but carelefs and negligent as foon as Ius back IS turned; but as th~ Servants of Chrift, doing the Will of God from the Heart, as the Apoftle commands and direCts them, Eph. 6. ;, 6, ?• Now to perfqrm Service unto their Mafters as unto God and Chrift, imports thefe two things : . Firft~ A ferious Confideration I hat God Is concern'd in every thing they do, as 1 • the ObjeCt of it; fo Col. 3• 23. Whatfoe".Jer je do, do ~t heartily, as 11tJto the Lord. And therefore Servants are commanded to have Refpetl', not fo much unto Men as unto God. This is the way to ennoble thy Service, be lt never fo mean; it is God whom thou ferveft in them, tl~at God whom the greateft Princes and Porcntates of ihe Earth ougbt to Serve. And be the Imploymenl what it will, yet the Greatnefs and Glory of that Mafter to whom thou dolt it, puts an Honour and Dignity upon ir. Secondly, To do Servi~e as unto the Lord, implies thy doing of it upon thiS very 2 ; account, becaufe God hath commanded it. Be the ACtion what it will be, yet if you can truly fay that you do it, not only becaufe your M after bath commanded it, but becaufe God, his Maft:er and yours, bath laid the Authority of his Comma11d and InjunCtion upon you to obey him, ~his prefers a Man's Service unto God, and makes it an ACtion done truJy unto him. And this may be a great Encouragement unto Servants, (for indeed their Condi... tion. generally wants lncouragement) that though ~heir Imployments may be the meaner and inferiour Drudgeries of this Life, and thofe poilibly not very well accepted by their harlh. and froward Mafters; yet be their Work never fa painful and laborious, whilft t_hey perform ,it out of Confcien~e to God's Command, it is accounted a$ done to bun, and not to them ; they are hts Servants more Ehan theirs, and he will kindly accept and bountifully reward them. We have thus c.onftdered the Duties which Servants owe unto their Mafters: Let us now proceed to thofe Duties which Mafters owe reciprocally to their Servants. And thofe conilft (as before I noted) either in &he right chufing, or in the right ufing them. The Mafter's firft Duty is a prudent Care and Circumfpeltion into the Choice of his Servants. And indeed, this is a matter-of great moment, and that wherein tho Happinefs and Comfort, or elfe tbe Mifery and Trouble of a Family doth very much depend. . • • . Now there are two Qualifications m a Servant, that ought chiefly to be regarded in the making choice of him. · The one is Ability to difcharge his place, and manage thofc Affairs which you commit to his Care and Truft. The other is Confcientioufnefs and Piety in d_oing faithful ServiCe, not to thee on.:., ly, but to God, the commonMafter of you both. And indeed lhis latter is of more Importance,and of greater Concernment to thr!c than th~ former: For when thou entertaineft a .god!y Pcrfon, though poffibly not fo fuJ?clent for thy Employment as fomc others, 1t will be a Commendation of thy CharHy, th~t thou maintaineft one of GQd's Servants in rhy Family. Buc when thou entertatnefi: a l~wd prophane Wret~h,' only becaufe he is ~blc to difpatch his Work, thou matmameft one of tbe Devils Slaves, and lakeft Into thine Houfc a T l fwor"
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