reproach of Sloth and the Plagues of Nastiness and Ignorance When you have laid this to heart consider too the infinite kindness of God who fills or is ready to fill all things living with his Goodness Consider his Alsufficiency and Power that 't is he * Psal 75.7 who pulleth down one and setteth up another There is no Cottage so retired which God does not look into and regard no Condition so desperate so destitute of Friends and all means that God cannot redress and relieve it He that called his People out of the Brick-kills and from between the Pots and chose Herdsmen and Shepherds for his Prophets and Princes this God can never want means to raise or provide for such who call upon him and serve him Thus if you lay to heart your Quality and Condition in the World if you demand each one of himself Who am I What am I born to What Station has God assigned me in the World This will soon convince you that you have nothing to trust to but God and your own Virtue And if you lay to heart in the next place the Goodness and All-sufficiency of God you 'l easily conclude that they who have him for their Friend and Patron can want no Encouragement no Assistance that they who serve him and depend upon him * Psal 34. shall lack no manner of thing that is good and so all together will put you upon the practice of Virtue and a dependence upon God in which consists almost the whole Preparation I am treating of Having advanced thus far Children must accustom themselves at home to the Duties they must practise in Service your next business will be to learn and accustom your selves to those Duties as far as you can in the Family of your Parents which you must practise afterwards in that of your Masters Above all practise those Virtues which you shall find useful and necessary wherever you shall come such are Industry Humility Contentment and the like First Industry for why should you not ease and assist your poor Parents who with much Affection Care and Trouble nurst and succour'd you when unable to help your selves Or why should you indulge your selves in Idleness who cannot live but by taking pains Secondly Humility for why should you not pay that Respect to those who are your Parents which you are to do to those who will be your Masters to those whom the Law of Nature has set over you which you must to those whom your Necessities will set over you Or how will you learn the Humble and Respectful Language or Demeanours of a Servant who accustom your selves to nothing but Rudeness Disrespect and Undutifulness towards your own Parents whom though you which you ought not it may be fear less yet sure you love more or ought to do so Lastly Contentment in your state for you are unfit to be Servants if you are wanton and discontented Children your Dyet it may be and such other Circumstances may be better'd by the exchange of a Father 's for a Master's House but there may be other things which may be more insupportable than your Parents Poverty something every where must be borne with and therefore inure your selves betimes to Contentment in the meanest Condition without which you shall never be happy in the best In a word if you would prove good Servants you must first prove good Children look upon your Parents not only as your Father and Mother but Master and Mistress too Let not the meanness of their Estate tempt you to slight 'em 't were a sin in a Neighbour or a Stranger to despise them for their Poverty but 't is a Crime a Crying wickedness in you their Children Make no use of the Indulgence and Fondness of your Parents but only this to inform your selves of 'em more freely what you are to do and more carefully avoid doing amiss and more chearfully to reform what is amiss for if you have no sense upon your minds of Duty and Kindness you will never make better than Eye-Servants whom God as well as Man detests Thus prepar'd The Resolution fit for such as are entring into Service as soon as you are invited to or have your selves found a fit Service fortifie and confirm your selves in this Resolution that you will perform the utmost that you undertake at least and whatever more you can that you will do your Duty with Chearfulness and with all your Might and with all imaginable Faithfulness and singleness of Heart as doing Service to God not Man Look upon your Master and Mistress as your Adopted Parents resolve to love and serve 'em as such and never to be persuaded that your own Interest can be divided from theirs Ah! would you but go thus qualified to Service you would find it indeed a state of True Liberty not Slavery you would not be driven to poor and dishonourable shifts ever and anon you would grow up and thrive in the Affections of your Masters and Mistresses and your Interest would ripen with their Affection and Value for you they would be your Adopted Parents you their Adopted Children as necessary and dear to 'em as their Feet their Hands their Eyes Fraught with these Virtues and Arm'd with these Resolutions enter into the World and prosper having first begg'd your Parents Blessing and Advice and devoted that little time between your being hired to and entring upon Service to Prayer and the consideration of these things A Prayer to be used by Parents fitted to this Duty O Almighty God Father of the Family of Heaven and Earth possess my Soul with a tender sense of the Duty of a Parent that I may not be bereaved of the Peace and Satisfaction which springs from a faithful discharge of it nor of the Pleasure and Advantage which Wise and Virtuous Children bring their Parents nor of that Blessing which thou dost bestow upon all such as train up their Children in thy Holy Faith and Fear O suffer me not instead of all these Advantages to fall into that wretched state wherein my Conscience shall be tortur'd and my Soul afflicted by the sense of my Childrens Ruin my own Guilt and thy heavy Displeasure Suffer me not O Lord to imitate that wicked One the Devil who delights to betray his Children into Sin and Ruin but make me to imitate thee my Heavenly Father who dost fill all things with thy Goodness whose merciful Providence is over all thy Works who providest for all thy Children both spiritual and bodily food and art most infinitely kind and gracious even to the undutiful and ungrateful O Lord open thou my mouth that I may pour forth Instruction O Lord purifie and sanctifie me that if I be slow of speech and unlearned they may yet learn from my Life more than they can from my Tongue But above all O Lord pour forth thy Grace in their hearts that they may be meek and teachable industrious and dutiful devout and
religious Lastly O Lord God I resign and recommend these my Children unto thee O be thou their Father take thou the Care of providing for 'em upon thee and do thou so direct the whole Course of their Lives by thy Gracious Providence that every passage of it may tend to thy Glory to my Comfort and to their own Honour and Happiness All which I most humbly and most earnestly beg for the sake of thy dear Son Jesus Christ A Prayer to be used by Children under the Government of their Parents O Eternal God and Heavenly Father thou that art the kind Author of my Being be thou the gracious Guide of my Life my Age is simple and unexperienced O be thou pleased to inspire me with true Wisdom from above I am come into a World full of Snares and Temptations O do thou fill me with the Knowledge and Love of thy Truth that it may keep me from the path of the Destroyer O possess my heart with the Fear of thee and dependence upon thee that I may walk before thee the Almighty God and be perfect that I knowing that thou art my exceeding great Reward may neither be discontented in my present state nor distrustful of a Provision for the future Possess also my heart O my God with that natural tenderness for my Parents and with that Christian sense of my Duty towards 'em that my Language may be respectful my Actions dutiful and my whole Behaviour such that I may not increase the Burden and Care of their Life but prove a comfort and support to ' em O my God possess me lastly with a spirit of Meekness Justice Truth and Industry that by Reverence to my Betters by Courteousness Truth and Faithfulness towards all and by Diligence in whatever I am employed I may grow like a Tree planted by the Rivers of Water my Leaf may not wither whatsoever I do may prosper and I may bring forth my fruit in due season increasing daily in Wisdom and Stature and in Favour with God and Man Hear O hear the Voice of my Petition for in thee only is my Trust through Jesus Christ our Lord. A Prayer to be used by such as are just entring into Service O Almighty God and Heavenly Father who art wont to lead and defend all those who call upon thee be thou pleased to go now and ever along with me and make my ways plain and prosperous before my face Vouchsafe me I beseech thee the Assistance of thy Grace that I may both contentedly submit to thy blessed Providence and also do my Duty faithfully in that station to which thou dost call me Make me always to remember that I do Service to thee my God whilst I do it as I ought to Man and that I am not only to expect my Wages from my Earthly but also my Reward from thee my Heavenly Master And O my God because I know that I am frail flesh and blood I beseech thee to confirm and strengthen me against all Temptations that nothing may be able to prevail with me to deceive the Trust that is repos'd in me Keep me also from all unchristian frowardness and passion which may disturb the Peace and Charity of the Family whither I go Above all keep me from forgetting thee in my Success and Plenty and from preferring my Worldly Interest before thy Favour Let me find Favour in their sight with whom I go to sojourn and bless thou them and do good unto 'em for thy Servants sake Thou art my God in thee is my Trust to thee I dedicate and devote my Life O hear me now and whenever I call upon thee O God of my Salvation through Jesus Christ my Lord. CHAP. II. Directions to be followed in the Choice of a Service The Rules to be followed in this Choice I Do not design here to lay down any Rules of Carnal Policy there are very few so stupid as not to be able to discern what sort of Services do best promote their Worldly Interest passing therefore over these I shall only direct you what way Servants are most likely to secure their Peace and Tranquility and a good Conscience Sometimes the Straits and Necessities of Servants are pressing and the Choice of Services is little or none at all And in this case whoever draws you as the Midianites did Joseph out of this Pit is to be lookt upon as appointed by Providence for your Master provided the Employment be lawful and not repugnant to your Christian Profession for then it is much better to suffer by the want of an Employment than thrive by a sinful one But whenever your wants are not urgent 't is much more adviseable to attend the Providence of God for a more suitable place than out of Distrust to put your selves into men as you must again soon quit not without some guilt of Lightness and Ingratitude or continue in very uncomfortably But you must in this deliberation take care that you do not impose upon your selves and pretend to do that out of Religion which you do really out of Pride or Idleness or Wantonness If several Services be offer'd it is no doubt on 't highly agreeable to Reason and Religion that a Servant should with great wariness proceed to chuse a Master whose Commands must be Laws to him to chuse that company which he must always live in 'T is in a word highly reasonable that a Servant should with good Advice put himself into a Family by whose Orders and Customs the whole manner of his Life is to be regulated and determin'd and both his Mind and Fortune probably to be shaped and fashioned Now that you may not miscarry in this Choice you are in the first place earnestly to implore the Guidance and Direction of God for if he interpose in those things which seem wholly given up to Chance as Solomon assures us * Prov. 16.33 The Lot is cast into the lap but the coming forth is of the Lord. How much more will he be intreated to be present in those Affairs wherein Men proceed by Rules of Wisdom and Religion And if the slightest matter of Life do fall under his notice which our Saviour intimates by telling us that †Matth. 6. The Hairs of our head are all numbred how much more the weightiest 1. Beg Gods Direction Look then up to God and call upon him for his Direction in this matter 't is he who by a secret Providence can over-rule all things 't is he who can give Light to obscure and doubtful things or a more discerning Judgment to weak and simple minds 2. Consult Virtuous Friends In the second place you are to take the Advice of Wise and Virtuous Friends and you are generally to look upon that Advice most sound which presses you most to Duty and Religion and flatters not your Pride nor Sloth In the third place 3. Weigh your own Capacities you must well weigh your own Capacities and
attention and devout affection Enter into the Church as into the House of God and the place of his more immediate Residence In hearing attend to the great End that is that thou mayest grow thereby that some Infirmity may be cured some Virtue improv'd some fresh Resolution form'd and in a word thy Soul rais'd into a more heavenly and holy frame being return'd home as soon as thou canst find an opportunity bless God that he has spoke to thy Soul that he has affected thee by his Word and his Spirit and endeavour by a solemn Review and Consideration of those things by which thou wast most affected to fix 'em better in thy memory I should have said in thy heart and then lay all thy Desires and Resolutions in devout Prayers before God and earnestly beg and depend upon his goodness for the obtaining the one and his grace for the performing the other In the evening the last thing thou dost call thy self to an account look back on every part of the day examine thy behaviour bewail thy defects bless God for all thy spiritual Advantages of the day and thou shalt find unspeakable comfort and peace thy delight in spiritual things will encrease and thy hopes will grow up thou wilt begin to relish and anticipate the joys and long for the possession of Heaven The Duty of Prayer Another Duty we owe to God is Prayer concerning which a Servant is to observe these three or four things First you must endeavour to awaken a steady Devotion in your heart by imprinting in it a holy Reverence and awful Dread of the Divine Majesty by these or the like thoughts O God thou art the Eternal God the Almighty Lord of Heaven and Earth all things are upheld by thy Power and filled by thy Goodness at thy Rebuke the foundations of the Earth will tremble and the Heavens at the Voice of thy displeasure all the Nations upon Earth are but as the Drop of the Bucket and the Grain of the Ballance before thee Oh what then am I a poor despicable sinful and extremely small part of ' em O suffer me not to forget thy Majesty suffer me not to forget my self Or thus O just and holy God thou art the Creator and Redeemer thou art the Judge of all Mankind thou art the Searcher of the Heart and Trier of the Reins O suffer me not to be cold or careless much less hypocritical in my Addresses to thee for not only * Eccl. 16.11 mercy but wrath is with thee and as thou art mighty to forgive so art thou too to pour out displeasure O suffer me not therefore rudely and inconsiderately to stretch forth my hands towards thine Ark the place where thine Honour dwelleth lest I be smitten like Uzzah and perish in my folly Or thus O Lord thou art MY God by thee have I been holden up ever since I was born thou art my God and I will praise thee I will love thee O Lord my God for thou hast redeem'd me O Lord thou God of Truth thou Rock of my Salvation my Soul thirsteth after thee open thou my mouth that I may praise thee in the joys and transports of my Soul enflame my heart that I may cleave to thee by the Embraces of Love that I may wrestle with thee by unfeigned Faith and devout Desire and not let thee go till I have obtain'd a Blessing for still I have many Infirmities that will separate between thee and me O let me never be divided from thee Lord save me or I perish Secondly See that thou do nothing that is repugnant to thy Prayers for 't is in vain to beg of God that which thou deniest thy self nay 't is extreme Hypocrisie to importune God for that Grace which thou dost manifestly resist or incapacitate thy self for by thy actions if God or his Prophet bid thee wash and be clean 't is mere presumption to expect the Cure of thy Leprosie without the use of the means prescrib'd Thirdly Mark the Issue and Return of thy Prayers that thou mayest be thankful as thou hast been importunate for a Blessing or if thou receive it not that thou mayest correct and reform what is amiss it may be thy Prayer wants Sincerity or it wants Faith or there is a Babylonish Garment and a Wedge of Gold hid in thy Tent some darling Lust conceal'd in thy bosom or thy Petition it self is a foolish Lust or wanton Passion and 't is well if it bring not down a Curse instead of a Blessing As to your Prayer I think it matters not much whether it be a form or a sudden Effusion provided it have in it a steady Faith and humble Devotion which is the Life and Soul of Prayer But as far as I am able to see good forms fitted to their necessities are most useful for Servants because mental Prayer e're it can be such as it ought requires good ability solemn preparation or at least an habitual exaltation of mind and takes up much time Particular Forms suited to particular occasions I have endeavour'd to provide in this Treatise for general ones Morning and Evening you may use these which follow A Prayer for the Morning O Lord my God thou hast preserv'd me this night which might have been my last and for this my Soul blesses thee Thou hast given me another day O give me Grace too to spend it so as if it were to be my last O let it not increase my guilt and the number of my sins but enable me to work in it the work for which thou hast sent me into the World for the night cometh wherein I cannot work The number of my sins is great enough already they would sink my Soul down to Hell if the blessed Jesus had not loved me and given himself for me and if thy Mercy were not as thy Majesty that is Infinite for I have forgotten thee too too often though thou hast given me my Being and hast provided for me when there was none other to help me I have forgotten thee though thou gavest me thine own Son to redeem me not only to free me from the punishment due to my sins but also to procure for me Life Eternal I have fear'd the displeasure of man whose breath is in his Nostrils more than I have fear'd thine O thou just and holy Judge of Mankind I have been more solicitous for the Bread that perishes than for thy Favour which is better than the Life it self and oh well were it for me if I had only omitted my Duty towards thee or perform'd it lifelesly or sluggishly but woe is me I have despis'd thy Goodness and Long-suffering I have harden'd my heart against thy Commandments I have dealt proudly and presumptuously and have done wickedly here mention those sins which most burden thy Conscience if thou hast any such and particularly those of thy Service and yet after all this vain and sensless Creature that I am I have repin'd
Master the Peace and Virtue of the Family and my own both Temporal and Eternal Happiness I know O Lord that no acts of injustice or unfaithfulness between Man and Man shall go unpunish'd I know that for these things sake the wrath of God is reveal'd from Heaven O what then must be my punishment if I heap upon the guilt of injustice and uncharitableness many others namely of Ingratitude Unfaithfulness Lying Perjury O preserve me therefore O my God from all falshood and wrong and suffer me not to forfeit thy favour and destroy my Soul for the sake of those things that perish O let me be fully convinced that the ways of Righteousness are ways of Pleasantness and that all her paths are Prosperity and Peace that so I may delight my self in the Law of my God and may find comfort and a blessing in the discharge of my Duty Teach me O Lord Humility and Obedience Faith and Truth Care and Industry Charity and Meekness that I may adorn the Doctrine of God my Saviour win others over to a love of Virtue and after an humble and contented tho' laborious life here may enter into Rest and Glory hereafter through Jesus Christ our Lord. A Prayer for Obedience O Glorious and Eternal Lord God who dwellest with those who are of a meek and lowly Spirit behold me I beseech thee and pour into my Heart that Virtue of Humility which is so highly esteemed by thee O Lord my Heart is too too apt to be filled with Pride and Vanity O do thou convince me every day more and more of my own vileness and worthlesness that I may be preserved from self-conceit and wilfulness O give me Grace often to consider the Humility of my Lord and Saviour that I may learn of him and obtain the peace which flows from a meek Spirit and Humble Obedience And O my God because I am to give an account to thee who art the searcher of the Heart and the tryer of the Reins the Judge of my most secret Thoughts as well as my most secret Actions teach me therefore to do my Duty chearfully and in singleness of Heart make me to abominate all Lying shifts and pretences as well as all proud wilfulness and sluggishness Make me careful to learn my Duty sincere in the performance of it patient under reproof and diligent in reforming whatever is amiss thus O my God whilst every part of my Duty towards Man shall prove an instance of my Obedience towards thee I shall enjoy the peace of a good Conscience and the hopes of an Eternal Reward Hear me and answer me O Lord for thy Mercies sake and thy Son Jesus Christs Sake A Prayer for Faithfulness O God thou God of Truth Right and Just art thou and there is no iniquity with thee fill my Heart I beseech thee with the love of Truth and Faithfulness make me true in all my words and upright in all my deeds O teach me to take heed to my ways that I offend not with my Tongue teach me to keep my Mouth as it were with a Bridle while the ungodly are in my sight O make me to abhor the sin of Unfaithfulness and let no such cleave unto me Let no slander or detraction no mischievous accusations proceed out of my Mouth nor suffer me ever to stretch forth my hand to iniquity O let me not fall through Covetousness or Distrust in God and let me never commit injustice to maintain my Pride or Riot or Idleness adding sin to sin If sinners entice me suffer me not to consent to 'em permit me not to have any Fellowship with the Unfruitful Works of Darkness but give me courage and discretion to reprove 'em that so my Righteousness may be as the Noon-day and thou mayest make me to prosper in the Land and I may at last obtain the Blessing Well done good and faithful Servant enter thou into thy Masters Joy Amen Amen Blessed Jesus A Prayer for Love O Thou God who art Love give me thy Grace that I may practise more abundantly that Charity which I owe all Mankind towards those of the same Family give me a grateful sense of the benefits which I enjoy under this Roof of the care and kindness of my Master towards me in providing for me both spiritual and bodily Food that so I may make returns to him in the Fruit of Love Obedience and Faithfulness Lord let his interest and his honour let his quiet and content be dear to me as my own that I may not only serve him with Justice but Zeal too And O my God diffuse the gift of Charity through the Hearts of this whole Family that we may all live in Godly love and peace together that our Prayers be not hindred nor we kept back from thy Holy Table or approach it unworthily But that we all enjoy thee our God in the beauty of Holiness enjoy one another in the beauty of Charity and enjoy those Temporal Blessings which thou hast richly bestow'd upon us in the beauty of order and virtue and and all things may finally and uniformly tend to thy Glory and our Comfort through Jesus Christ our Lord. CHAP. III. Of the Duty of Servants § 1st Towards their Masters Children consisting of Affection due Respect Care of their Morals Care of their Honour and Care of their Interest § 2dly Towards Sojourners § 3dly Towards Strangers What the Servant owes his Masters Children WHatever it be that Servants owe the Children of the Family 't is only the result of that Duty which they owe their Master Children are as it were parts of their Parents their Blood and Birth gives 'em a just claim as to the care and love of their Parents so to a proper share of th' Affection and Service and all other advantages of the Family First Therefore a Servant owes the Children of his Master a sincere Affection Affection which will easily be granted if it be but consider'd that 't is impossible for a Servant to bear Faith and Love to his Master and have neither for his Children for Children are the dearest interest and most valuable Treasure of their Parents Children are the joys and hopes of their Fathers they double the pleasure of his prosperity by being sharers in it and ease the toil of his labours by being the Heirs of ' em How therefore can any one pretend to love his Master who hates or despises what is dearest to him Now this affection of the Servant must express it self towards his Masters Children 1st In a due Respect 2dly In his care for their Morals 3dly In a sincere Zeal for their Honour and 4dly For their Interest 1st In Respect Due Respect This their birth Challenges every slight or neglect offer'd the Children by a Servant is some diminution of the Reverence which he owes his Master for the Father must needs suffer in the contempt of the Son and yet this Respect ought to be wisely regulated for