237 vants is to assist them in their affairs, as they cannot do all things themselves; therefore they trust others to do what is wanting: nor can they be always at home or abroad, where their business may require attendance; therefore they entertain others to supply these defects. Which ends are not answered, where industry, faithfulness, and honesty are wanting on the servant's part. The absence of the master is not supplied, where the servant does not act, as the master would, if he were present: and the master stays at home to his loss, if his servant abroad be false in any shape. Nor must a servant be unjust in behalf of his master, nor impose upon the ignorance of those he deals with; he must no more recommend himself to his master's favour by over-reaching others, than he must be unfaithful to those he serves. His duty is to be as useful as possible; but not to be dishonest. And as the servant's duty is to do all the good he can, and no mischief, therefore all waste and unnecessary profusion is so much damage to the master, and consequently to be avoided; because it is so much injury done to those, who should be profited by his service. He must then, in the absence of his master, behave as carefully and industriously, as he would in his presence; for to be frugal and industrious in the master's sight, and in his absence to be profuse and idle, is not only eyeservice and hypocrisy, but falsehood and dishonesty. I wish servants were as much aware of this as they should. Many think it well if they do not directly defraud their masters of their money or substance; whereas there is little difference between a profuse waste of their master's goods or time, and defrauding them of something feloniously. Do not their masters pay for their profusion? which, if it be unreasonable, does not want much of robbery. But of all thefts, the worst is breach of trust; as servants having given their faith to be just and honest, their villainy is greater than that of others, who though they steal more, have not bound themselves, as servants do, to be honest, and to secure their masters from others, to the best of their abilities; and this is the reason of the law, which makes it treason for a servant to kill his master.

Nothing is so necessary for a servant, as the reputation of being just and honest; and nothing is more certain to undo them than a bad fame, and the suspicion of false dealing with their masters. They have nothing to depend upon but the hopes of lying concealed, and that their thefts will never be discovered; which hopes are yet so often disappointed, that very few, who have for any time been guilty. of this practice, escape being found out, which ruins their character. The reputation of servants is so valuable, that many masters will not charge them with dishonesty, though well enough assured that they are guilty: others have cause to suspect; but for prudential reasons will not accuse: and others see it, but would not irritate too far, and make their servants desperate by the publication; hoping that they will reform. Therefore, servants are deceived, if they think that all are ignorant who are silent; and that they are unsuspected, because not charged with dishonesty. This is the rule that hired servants may measure their safety by. But indulgence and forbearance would not be discreetly used by masters with respect to servants who are so moveable and fugitive, as to be always wandering from place to place, for such ought not to be born with a moment in their wicked devices; but they are proper enough with respect to those of a better rank, who are tied by covenants for a term of time. It may be these reasons may not be received; let such servants then consider, that, whether this discovery be made to men or not, they are open to the eye of God; and their consciences will be always burdened by their false practices. The fruits of iujustice may gratify some vain longing for the present; but when that is over, the mind is immediately disquieted at what is past, afraid of shame and discovery, and knows that the fact must be repented of, before it can be pardoned; which is much more uneasy than the denial of those desires could have been. Thus a false servant drives a bad bargain, when for so little profit he gives away the peace and quiet

of his soul.

Neither let a servant presume so much upon his own good qualifications, as to dare to answer again. This, in

the apostle's interpretation, is adding to the crime of purloining; and St. Peter judges it so necessary that a servant should be patient and meek under the rebukes of a master, that he directs servants, when they suffer wrongfully, to bear it with patience, as a thing acceptable to God. But it they are punished or rebuked for a fault, it is not sufficient that they answer not again; for they must also amend their fault, as a proof of their due submission to their master's will for God's sake. And, lastly,

A servant must diligently attend on all the duties of his place; and avoid idleness, sloth, gaming, drunkenness, and every other irregular course that tends to the prejudice or neglect of his master's business; because a negligent servant can never be accounted either faithful or obedient to his master. Moderate labour has advantages that servants do not think on: it makes their necessary service in time grow easy for, as repeated acts beget habits, and things habitual become easy and familiar to us; so continued labours, if done with moderation, when strength and pains are discreetly proportioned out, beget activity, which cannot be long idle. Thus industry is truly the servant's interest as well as the master's; for such as have served with diligence are secure of better credit and more success in their future life. By this we may account why many servants when they become masters, succeed ill, notwithstanding their desires of thriving; because they have not industry, and cannot take those pains that are necessary in their station. Skill and good husbandry will not do without great industry in our several ways, which will not come when called for, but must be laid up before by use; and experience teaches, that the better servants are to their masters, the better they will succeed when they manage their own affairs: and these qualifications are attained by use: when the mind is susceptible of impression, and the limbs will bend to their work, this is the time of making industry and labour easy to us. And all the care and pains they take is truly their own at the last; all the skill and understanding they get a treasure for themselves, laid up till they have the great

est need.

is

The state of servitude is necessary by the appointment of the wise Creator: the world cannot be governed and maintained without it; and it is their lot to be instrumental to the public good in that state of life. Yet this is no token of God's displeasure: for he nowise forbids them to use honest means to make themselves free as soon as they can; only he commands them to behave as becomes their condition, with submission and humility, with obedience, diligence, aud industry, with truth and justice, faithfulness and honesty. It is true, the state of servitude is accounted the meanest of all others; but yet it is to be made easy: servants have more of the labours of life, but they have less of the cares; their bodies are more fatigued and exercised, but their minds are less perplexed. They are only concerned in one matter, to do what lies before them, while others have a world of things to cumber their minds. Their whole care is to their masters; whereas, it may be, their masters must court and humour all they deal with. They generally have themselves alone to provide for; their mas ters have wives, children, and relations: scarcity or dearness affects them not: if public mischiefs oppress a nation, they feel little of them, though even the government should be changed: their contribution to the support of the public is very trifling: they pay no taxes, lose no gainful employments, suffer not by the malice or insolence of parties, undergo no calumny or slander; they are less distressed, suffer less hardships, than those who live in a higher station. And though it is not possible for all men to be great, or possessed of places, nor for all men to be rich, governors and masters, or great traders, or remarkable in any faculty yet all men may be honest, virtuous, and religious; all men may live in God's favour in this world and be happy in the other. Therefore it is a comfortable consideration for servants (however despicable their condition appears in the eyes of men) that in the sight of God, who understands the value of his creatures, they are of equal worth with the great and noble; he has given them bodies as beautiful and useful; faculties of mind as good; made them capable of being virtuous; has redeemed them with the same

precious blood of Christ; opened the same gates of heaven, and prepared for them the same glory in that kingdom of everlasting bliss.

every

IX. Now on the other side, in reason, justice, and by God's command, masters owe several duties to their servants; and are as much obliged to perform their part of the contract, as the servants theirs: for relation being built on a contract, either supposed, or actually agreed upon between the parties related; each party is obliged to perfrom his part of the contract, upon which the relation stands: consequently, a master is faithless and unjust, who suffers his servant to be ignorant or unskillful in his profession which he covenanted to make him understand; he breaks his covenant, by keeping back the skill that is necessary. And he that serveth is deceived, and loses the thing he bargained for, and for which he pledged his faith and service for a term of time. So to withhold the price and reward of service, which has been bargained for, is a foul practice; the reward is the servant's due; he has already paid for it; and to defraud him of it is to rob him. And as

it is injustice to deny what is the servant's due; so when servants cannot, by legal courses, obtain that due, through the power of their masters, they are oppressed as well as wronged. Such masters are often met with, though in a very faulty manner: for, while the servants live with them, they commonly copy their masters' vices, and, among others, injustice: so living upon them, they pay themselves with interest. Again, the detaining the wages of poor men, who subsist by their daily labours, is still a greater hardship; but the injustice is the same whether you bargain by the day or year, in detaining their hire. And it is injustice to withhold either food, raiment, or any profit that a servant has contracted for.

Nor must the master conclude that he has performed the whole of his duty, when he has justly complied with the contract agreed upon with his servant: for it is his duty also, not only to admonish and reprove his servant for any neglect or injustice discoverable in his own worldly concerns; but if he finds him deceitful, or telling lies, or