Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	master_n	servant_n	wage_n	1,026	5	11.4895	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51047	Christian advice both to old and young, rich and poor which may serve as a directory at hand, ready to direct all persons almost in every state and condition. Under XXVII general useful heads.	Mocket, Thomas, 1602-1670?; Cross, Thomas, fl. 1632-1682, engraver.	1671 (1671)	Wing M2303A; ESTC R217853	68,834	211

negligence I might say the prophaness of most Parents Masters and Governours of families who have no duties of Religion performed in the family not so much as prayer but live like Heathens and Infidels only work eat drink sleep play and the like worldly things but no service of God or very rarely sometimes some have a short heartless prayer at night yea it is to be feared and I have too much reason to think that some even whom I know and no doubt many others and I therefore mention it that they might see their sin such I say which make a fair profession of Religion and do attend I think constantly on some of the best Preachers and yet have no family-duties or but seldom This is very sad that that which should be minded principally the worship and service of God in the family is either wholly neglected or least minded It was otherwise with Abraham Joshua Job David Daniel and all that ever truly feared God Gen. 18.19 Josh 24.15 Daniel three times a day Dan. 6.10 11 12. David seven times a day Psal 119.64 5. Imploy them well in lawful imployments but do not over-burden them A good man is merciful unto his beast saith Solomon much more to his servant 6. Be careful for them both in health and sickness provide all things needful and convenient for them and in due seasons Allow them convenient time for rest recreations and to mend their apparel and allow them for their work a sutable reward the laborer is worthy of his hire Let poor labouring men especially be fully paid for their work whether they work with you or for you God hates oppression Do not work on the poor mans necessity you would not be willing to be so served your selves Do nothing in this kind but that which is just and honest before God and all men Remember you have a Master in Heaven to whom you must give an account and there is no respect of persons with God Ephes 6.9 And though some poor labouring men will be glad at some times to do any thing to get a peny to supply necessaries yet sure no honest man or that fears God will work on such a man or womans necessity to pinch men that labour of their necessary and convenient food apparel or wages to deny them their just due defer them when they stand in need of it abridge them of their necessary rest abate them in their wages or work on poor mens necessity as the manner of some wretched Masters is to do is hateful to God who is merciful and will surely avenge the poor that cry unto him and severely punish such wretched Masters 7. Teach them their Trade who are put as Apprentices to you It is a great sin to keep them ignorant of the lawful ways and the managing of their Calling a robbing of them and frustrating the end for which they were put to you As for the Mysteries or rather mysterious iniquities many men use in the managing of their Trades and Callings let the wicked keep to themselves whereby many to wonderment quickly grow rich but fear you God It is an old saying Plain dealing is a Jewel but he that useth it shall die a beggar but it is better to die a beggar than a knave to die poor and go to Heaven than to die very rich and go to hell 1 Cor. 6 9 10. The only sure way under Heaven to have a blessing on whatsoever a man hath and Gods favour whose loving kindness is better than life is to deal truly justly and faithfully with all men in all things I will not condemn any whom I see or hear of that suddenly get great estates but I cannot imagine how some men should get such vast estates as they do in a few years if they do not use some subtleties or ways more than are honest But they stand or fall to their great Master I do but give some men an Item God grant the faulty may make use of it I touch not others unless by way of caution 8. Teach them also to be careful diligent and provident for themselves in an honest way that they may see you mind their good as well as your own it will both do them good and make them more careful to manage your business for your comfort and benefit 9. When you have a good servant especially one that feareth God and makes conscience of his ways esteem highly of him or her bless God for and make much of such and use him as a brother or her as a sister in Christ and a good gift of God Philemon v. 16. 26. Servants you that are actually engaged or yet free and intend to be such let me mind you also of your duties and make Conscience of performing them as you tender your own good First as much as in you lieth while you are free or when you shall be free and intend to engage again make choice of a Godly family of such Masters Mistresses or Dames and samilies where piety and good Conscience are exercised and Religious duties constantly performed and encouraged as you tender the everlasting good and welfare of your precious and immortal Souls Be not so deluded as for a little no nor for a great deal of worldly wages or respect to neglect your precious souls Evil and ungodly families have undone many a hopeful servant both in soul and body yet most endeavor to get into families where they may get most wages or other worldly respects without any regard to piety the best things Gods glory or their eternal estate and prove accordingly and many repent sore when it is too late when they are called by death to give an account of themselves and their time unto God the Judge of all the world Secondly Having made a good choice or being in a Religious Conscientious family bless God for it be willing ready and forward to joyn with them in all Religious duties and to learn of them improve your opportunities and continue there so long as you intend to be servants to others if you may continue change not for worldly respects and advantages only to your prejudice in spiritual things Thirdly Being servants of whatsoever rank sort or condition birth or estate you were before yet being servants know and make conscience of the duty God and Nature require of you As 1. Be obedient to them that are your Masters according to the flesh that is to fleshly and bodily Masters of the same common nature with your selves in all things lawful and that may stand with your obedience unto Christ your heavenly Master and absolute Lord so God himself expresly commandeth Ephes 6.5 Colos 3.22 Yea though they were before inferior to yourselves in divers respects and are still froward harsh cruel ungodly 1 Pet. 2.18 not only to the good and gentle but also to the froward in all things So Colos 3.22 that is in all things lawful all things that may stand with Gods command

can conceive 1 Cor. 2.9 Psal 31.19 Sixthly Children must learn to be mannerly to know their duty towards all and accordingly to carry themselves mannerly loving and with due respectfulness and courtesie to all sorts of persons even to the meanest and poorest Good breeding and carriage is very commendable and winning Seventhly As you grow up in discretion and years be faithful diligent careful and provident to look unto and do your Parents business the benefit will be all your own hereafter and you will have the peace and comfort of a good conscience in discharging your duty in the mean time and ever Eighthly Imploy some time every day in private alone in reading the Holy Scriptures prayer meditation on what you have heard and read and labour to use and improve all Ordinances of Christ for your spiritual advantage and Souls benefit Ninthly Brothers and sisters must love one another in a special manner and be very willing and ready to do all good offices one for another Love as Brethren saith the Apostle because of the near relation one to another in the flesh for brothers and sisters to live at variance or as strangers one to another is sinful and shameful What! should not they love and live lovingly one with another that were begotten of the same father or born of the same mother lay in the same womb fed at the same brest and table and frequently plaid together If any of you be faulty I can accuse none for shame let it be so no more but labour to be cordially united in love and help one another in all well doing especially in the way to Heaven Lastly When you are grown up and desire to change your condition and dispose of your selves abroad in a calling place and especially in way of Marriage observe I pray these few directions and God will be with you to bless and prosper you 1. Resolve on nothing till you have first acquainted your Parents or Guardians that are in place of Parents and have their consent and advice you have your being and education breeding and bringing up by their care pains and charge and therefore do owe your selves to them and therefore should do nothing without their consent and advice 2. Be earnest with God in prayer for direction and a blessing on your undertaking most especially in the choice of a yoke-fellow God is the great disposer of all things and most wise yea only wise 1 Tim. 1.17 Houses and riches are the inheritance of fathers but a prudent wife is from the Lord Prov. 19.14 Therefore be sure to seek unto God for a meet yoke-fellow as the gift of God 3. Let Godliness in a yoke-fellow be that which above all you desire and endeavour after to find in an helper Never marry with one that is not truly religious and though Religion alone is not sufficient to make a fit match suffer not your selves to be corrupted with the worlds false glosses of beauty wealth or the like neither cross the rules of Nature in too much disparity of age or degree or in robbing Patents of their right marry not with any of evil report for beauty or lucre sake among all the ends of marriage mentioned in the Scripture 't is observed there is none to make one rich or worldly great They that look only or chiefly at beauty parts riches or other worldly advancements many times have that which they desire but little comfort with it often a cress and sometimes a curse with them He that would have Gods blessing on the marriage must invite God to the marriage he that would have not his wine turned into water but his water turned into wine must invite Christ to the wedding he that would have Gods favour and blessing must ask his leave and presence and follow his direction by his word and gratious Providence Be not hasty but wisely deliberate and considerate ere you pass over your selves liberty and all for so long a term as during life much less sell your selves and your liberty and comfort only for worldly estate wit or beauty though never so great and be always a servant for these uncertain and unsatisfying things And it is good to express before engagement what you expect both for piety and all other matters of habitation manner of living order of family and the like This is the way to have marriage a merry age matter of much comfort 25. Masters you to whom God has given the honour of being Masters and Governours of a family and servants 1. Know I pray and remember that most of the before-mentioned duties incumbent on Patents concern you also to practise towards your servants as to instruct them in the grounds of true Religion to pray with them and for them daily read the Scriptures before and to them daily and see that they be present and do attend with reverence both at private duties as prayer reading the Scriptures repetition of what has been heard and the publike Mnistry of the word and that they also do read the Scriptures often examme them what they do remember help them what you can and give them a good example in all things 2. When they do well encourage them restrain them from evil and from evil places and company And when they do ill reprove them but privately shew them their error and the evil of their ways in love that they may see you seek their good as well as your own and the faithful discharge of your duty to God and them 3. Rule them not with rigour harshness or bitterness use them not as slaves but as fellow servants to Christ with love and gentleness forbearing threatnings as much as may be that they may serve you out of love and for conscience sake Rigour bitterness harshness foul language are hateful to God and often do much hurt make many mopish careless some distracted and others desperate but love gentleness and good usage hath often done much good even on difficult natures and your authority must be improved for their edification and not for their destruction 2 Cor. 10.8 And if they reply when reproved soberly hear their defence and reasons as Job did Job 31.13 But be sure you command your servants and children nothing but what is lawful just and equal and agreeable unto nothing that is against the Law of God which must be all our rule for so doing your selves will be guilty of a double fault and suffer most in the end and I would gladly prevent your dashing on this rock and all others 4. Allow them time convenient as for your work so for Gods service publike and private duties of Religion and piety It is not enough to instruct them and blame them for omissions but you must also allow them convenient time it will be no let to your work and business but a whet rather bring a blessing on your affairs as Abrahams servant did Gen. 24.12 27 42 48 52. But lamentable is the carelessness and

thanks-worthy if a man for conscience towards God indure grief suffering wrongfully for what glory is it if when ye are buffeted for your faults ye take it patiently but if when ye do well and suffer for it ye take it patiently this is acceptable with God for even hereunto are ye called because also Christ suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow him who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth See here is Gods command Christs example their own duty comfort and benefit to themselves do all bind servants to a meek and patient bearing of reproof and correction blows also 5. Bear with your Masters infirmities for the best of men have their infirmities are subject to like passions as other men as 't is said of Elias Jam. 5.17 as you your selves also have yours and therefore make conscience of bearing with them in others especially in your Governors concealing and covering them in love as much as may be It is a sinful thing to publish or blaze them abroad to the dis-credit of their Master is indeed to their own discredit shame in the end yet it is too common for servants when they meet together to talk of and blaze their Masters and Governors infirmities and secrets also that others abroad know what is said and done secretly in the house Such the Holy Ghost condemneth as tale-bearers Prov. 11.13 and 20.19 and the Apostle as tatlers and busie-bodies wandring from house to house and speaking things they ought not 1 Tim. 5.13 I say also it redounds to their own discredit and shame for who will credit or like such as tattle abroad what they see or hear at home or knowingly receive or willingly retain such in their houses All sober persons will utterly dislike and condemn such persons for so doing To back all these duties and put all servants on to make conscience of performing these duties consider these weighty Reasons 1. The will and express command of God as you have heard so that in a willing neglecting any of these you sin against God and provoke God against your own souls 2. You wrong your Masters whose good you ought to endeavour heartily and honour their persons and authority 3. The great reward you shall receive if not of men yet to be sure of God who has undertaken to be your pay-master Eph. 6.8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doth the same shall he receive of the Lord whether he be bond or free 4. The place Masters are in namely over you in the Lord as your Head and Governour and you in the place of subjection to them so that whatsoever the birth parentage estate parts or former conditions of any of you were yet now being servants by your own voluntary choice or Divine Providence you must be subject and do the duty of servants and it is much better to do that cheerfully and faithfully which must be done and will be much for your comfort and benefit 5. The faithful discharge of these duties is a good way to adorn the Gospel credit Religion and Godliness honour the Name of God the contrary will be an occasion of blaspheming the Name of God and of the Gospel and the ways of Godliness 1 Tim. 6.1 Titus 2.10 and hindring the good of Souls 6. This is one end of your calling to Grace to serve others faithfully 1 Pet. 2.21 22. whereunto also you are called though the place speaks especially and particularly of suffering patiently for well-doing yet excludes not the other but includes it 7. Fellow-servants must be loving one to another and be a help and comfort one unto another in all well-doing and by all lawful means as much as may be that their lives may be more sweet and comfortable to themselves more pleasing to God and their service more acceptable unto their Master and give one another and others a good example of faithfulness diligence chastity sobriety godliness and all Christian vertues and well-doing 8. I might add there will be a day of Death and Judgment in which both Masters and servants must give an account unto God the Judge of all the world how they have carried themselves in their relations one towards another 2 Cor. 5.10 Eccles 12.14 27. Lastly To those that are poor in the world I must add a few words particularly for their comfort and direction and I pray observe them well 1. If now for your comfort you be truly Godly that is know God and Jesus Christ savingly and if you do truly desire to believe and endeavour to serve God daily and faithfully though but weakly as your education 't is probable hath been but mean then you are rich and great in the sight of God God is your Father and Jesus Christ your Redeemer Justifier and Saviour the Holy Spirit is your Sanctifier and Comforter and Heaven your in heritance all is yours if you be Christs 1 Cor. 3.22 23. Bless God with all your Souls serve him with all your heart you are happy in a far better condition than many thousands though you have little or nothing in the world and they have hundreds or thousands by the year if they be Christless ungodly and graceless and such I am confident some of those to whom I intend this are Fear not you shall never want things necessary any thing that God your Heavenly Father knows to be good and necessary for you Consider Psal 34.9 10. 84.11 Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son how shall he not with him freely give us all things Consider well Mat. 6.25 to the end where you shall read how Christ argues for your comfort and ours also Where God gives life which is the greater better gift says Christ he will give meat and drink which is the lesser and he that gives a body will give raiment which is the lesser good He that will give a hundred or thousand pound to his childe will not be wanting to give him a little meat drink and clothes a few shillings for his present necessaries He that cloth s the field with grass and corn and the Lillies that neither toil nor spin Yea He that feeds the ravens kites and other Birds and Beasts that live on prey God provides for them when they awake in the morning they sing and are merry and yet they do not know where they shall have one small bit and they praise their Maker in their kind depend on him without distracting or carking distrustful cares and he provides for them every one food convenient in the due season Read Psal 104.27.28 and 147.15 16. How much more will he provide for you who truly desire and endeavor to serve and fear him Be not faithless but beleeve But 2. If you have not true saving knowledge and sanctified Grace an interest in Jesus Christ if ignorant or unholy and unrighteous then I beseech you whatsoever you do neglect yet neglect not any longer to give diligent endeavour