Things, by which they may both do and fuffer more Harm than a lying Tongue. Truth therefore is a neceffary Quality in Servants And a further one is proper Secrecy. For there is great Unfairness in betraying the Secrets, either of their Maf ter's Business, or his Family; or turning to his Difa lvantage any Thing that comes to their Knowledge by being employed under him; unless it be where Confcience obliges them to a Difcovery; which is a Cafe that feldom happens. And, excepting that Cafe, what they have promifed to conceal, it is palpable Wicked. nefs to difclofe: And where they have not promifed, yet they are taken into their Mafter's Houfe to be Affiftants and Friends, not Spies and Tale-Bearers; to do Service, not Harm, to him, and to every one that is under his Roof. Two other Duties, of all Perfons indeed, but in fome Measure, peculiarly of Servants, are Sobriety; without which they can neither be careful nor diligent, nor will be likely to continue juft; and Chaftity, the Want of which will produce all Manner of Diforders and Mifchiefs in the Family to which they belong, and utter Ruin to themselves. The laft Requifite which I fhall mention, is Peaceablenefs and good Temper; agreeing with and helping one another, and making the Work which they have to do, eafy, and the Lives, which they are to lead toge ther, comfortable. For it is very unfit, that either their Masters or any other Part of the Family should fuffer through their Ill-humour; and indeed they fuffer enough by it themselves, to make reftraining it well worth their While, Thefe are the Duties of Servants; and as the faithful Performance of them is the fureft Way of ferving themselves, and being happy in this World: fo, if it proceed from a true Principle of Confcience, God will accept it, as Service done to himself, and make them. eternally happy for it in the next: whereas wilfully tranfgreffing, or negligently flighting, the Things which I 2 they they ought to do, whatever Pleasure, or whatever Advantage it may promife or produce to them for a while, will feldom fail of bringing them at laft to Shame and Ruin even here, and will certainly bring them, unlefs they repent and amend, to Mifery hereafter. But think not, I entreat you, that we will lay Burthens on those below us, and take none upon ourfelves. There are Duties allo, and very neceffary ones, which Mafters and Miftreffes owe to their Servants. To behave towards them with Meeknefs and Gentleness, not imperiously and with Contempt: and to reftrain them, as far as may be, from giving bad Usage one to another; never to accufe, threaten, or suspect them, without or beyond Reafon; to hear patiently their Defences and Complaints; and bear, with due Moderation, their Miftakes and Faults, neither to make them, when in Health, work or fare harder than is fitting; nor fuffer them, when in Sicknefs, to want any Thing requifite for their Comfort and Relief: if they be hired Servants, to pay their Wages fully and punctually at the Time agreed: if they are put to learn any Bufinefs or Profeffion, to inftruct them in it carefully and thoroughly: not only to give them Time for the Exercifes of Religion; but Affiftance to underftand, and Encouragement to practife, every Part of their Duty: To keep them, as much as poffible, both from Sin and Temptation, and particularly from corrupting each other: To fhew Difpleafure when they do amifs, as far, and no farther, than the Cafe requires; and to countenance and reward them, when they serve well, in Proportion to the Merit and Length of fuch Service. For all thefe Things are natural Dictates of Reason and Humanity; and clearly implied in that comprehenfive Rule of Scripture: Mafers, give unto your Servants that which is juft and equal; knowing, that ye alfo have a Mafter in Heaven 4. 4 Col. iv. I. There There are still two Sorts more, of Inferiors and Supe. riors, that may properly be mentioned under this Commandment: young Perfons and elder; thofe of low and high Degree. The Duty of the younger is, to moderate their own Rafhnefs and Love of Pleasure; to reverence the Perfons and Advice of the aged; and neither to use them ill, or defpife them, on Account of the Infirmities that may accompany advanced Years; confidering in what Manner they will expect hereafter that others should treat them. And the Duty of elder Perfons is, to make all fit Allowances, but no hurtful ones, to the natural Difpofitions of young People; to inftruct them with Patience, and reprove them with Mildnefs; not to require either too much or too long Submiffion from them; but be willing that they, in their Turn, fhould come forward into the World; gradually withdrawing themfelves from the heavier Cares, and the lighter Pleasures of this Life and waiting with pious Refignation to be called into another.. The Duty of the lower Part of the World to thofe above them, in Rank, Fortune, or Office, is, not to envy them; or murmur at the Superiority, which a wife, though myfterious, Providence hath given them; but in whatever State they are therewith to be contents; and pay willingly to others all the Refpect, which Decency or Cuftom have made their Due. At the fame Time, the Duty of thofe in higher Life is, to relieve the poor, protect the injured, countenance the good, difcourage the bad, as they have Opportunity; not to fcorn, much less to oppprefs, the meaneft of their Brethren; but to remember, that we shall all stand before the Judgment-feat of Christ; where he that doth wrong, fhall receive for the Wrong which he hath done; and there is no Refpect of Perfons'. And now, were but all thefe Duties confcientiously obferved by all the World, how happy a Place would 5. Phil. iv. 11. Rom. xiv. 10. 7 Col. iii. 25. it be! And whoever will faithfully do their own Part of them, they fhall be happy, whether others will do theirs or not; and this Commandment affures them of it; that thy Days may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. In all Probability, if we obey his Laws, and that now before us in particular, both longer and more profperous will our Days prove in this Land of our Pilgrimage, in which God hath placed us to fojourn : but, without all Question, eternal and infinite fhall our Felicity be, in that Land of Promife, the heavenly Canaan, which He hath appointed for our Inheritance; and which that we may all inherit accordingly, He of his Mercy grant, &c. LECTURE XXIV. The fixth Commandment. AVING fet before you, under the fifth Commandment, the particular Duties, which Inferiors and Superiors owe each to the other; I proceed now to thofe remaining Precepts, which exprefs the general Duties of all Men to all Men. Amougft thefe, as Life is the Foundation of every Thing valuable to us, the Prefervation of it is justly entitled to the firft Place. And accordingly the fixth Commandment is, Thou shalt do no Murder. Murder is taking away a Perfon's Life, with Delign, and without Authority. Unless both concur, it doth not deferve that Name. 1. It is not Murder, unless it be with Defign. He who is duly careful to avoid doing Harm, and unhappily, notwithstanding that, kills another, though he hath Caufe to be extremely forry for it, yet is entirely void of Guilt on Account of it. For his Will having 110 no Share in the Action, it is not, in a moral Senfe, his. But if he doth the Mifchief through Heedleffness, or Levity of Mind, or inconfiderate Vehemence, here is a Fault. If the Likelihood of Mischief could be forefeen, the Fault is greater; and the highest Degree of fuch Negligence, or impetuous Rafhnefs, comes near to bad Intention. 2. It is not Murder, unless it be without Authority. Now a Perfon hath Authority, from the Law both of God and Man, to defend his own Life, if he cannot do it otherwise, by the Death of whoever attacks it unjustly: whofe Deftruction in that Cafe, is of his own feeking, and his Blood on his own Head. But nothing, fhort of the most imminent Danger, ought ever to carry us to fuch an Extremity; and a good Perfon will fpare ever fo bad a one, as far as he can with any Profpe&t of Safety. Again, proper Magiflrates have Authority to fentence Offenders to Death, on fufficient Proof of fuch Crimes as the Welfare of the Community requires to be thus punished; and to employ others in the Execution of that Sentence. And private Perfons have Authority, and in proper Circumftances are obliged, to feize and profecute fuch Offenders: for all this is only another Sort of Self-Defence: defending the Public from what elfe would be pernicious to it. And the Scripture bath faid, that the Sovereign Power beareth not the Sward in vain. But in whatever Cafes gentler Punishments would fufficiently anfwer the Ends of Government, furely capital ones are forbidden by this Commandment. Self-Defence, in the last Place, authorizes whole Nations to make War upon other Nations, when it is the only Way to obtain Redress of Injuries, which cannot be fupported; or Security against impending Ruin. To determine whether the State is indeed in thefe unhappy Circumftances, belongs to the fupreme Jurifdiction and the Quellion ought to be confidered very confcientiously. For Wars, begun or continued with 8 2 Sam. i. 16. 1 Kings ii. 37. Ezek. xxxiii. 4. 9 Rom. xiii. 4. 14 out |