Lord's altar with tears and weeping ! There are wives to be found that are not chimorons, peevish, and froward to tlieir husbands, wlio yet are far from a work of true grace in their hearts ; do they then walk as becomes holiness, who trouble the whole house with their violent passions ? There are servants, who, from the authority of a natural conscience, are kept from railing and reviling language, when reproved by their masters ; and shall not grace keep pace with nature ? Holy David knew very well how near this part of the saint's duty lies to the very heart of godliness ; and, therefore, when he makes his solemn vow to walk holily before God, he instanceth in this, as one stage whereon he miglit eminently discover the graciousness of his spirit, ' I will walk within my house with a perfect heart,' Psa. ci. 2. But to instance, in a few particulars, wherein the power of holiness is to appear as to family relations.
First, In the choice of our relations, such I mean as are eligible. Some are not in our choice. The child cannot. choose what father he will have, nor the father what child. But where God allows a liberty, he expects a corresponding choice. 1. Art tliou godly, and wantest a service? O take heed thou shewest thy holiness in the family thou choosest, and the governors thou puttest thyself under. Inquire more whether it be a healthful air for thy soul within doors, than for thy body without. The very senseless creatures groan to serve the ungodly world, and, if capable of choosing, would comit it their liberty to serve the sons of God, Rom. viii. 21. And wilt thou voluntai-ily, when thou mayest prevent it, run thyself imdcr the government of such as are imgodly, who art thyself a child of God ? It is hard to serve two mastei's, though much alike in disjjosition ; but impossible to serve those two, a holy God and a wicked ungodly man or woman, so as to please them both. But if thou art under the roof of such a one, forget not thy duty to them, though they do forget their duty to God ; possibly thy faithfulness to them may bring them to inquire after thy God, for thy sake^ as Nebuchadnezzar did for Daniel's. No doubt wicked men would take up religion and the ways of God more seriously into their con- sideration, if there were a more heavenly lustre and beauty upon Christians' lives, in their several relations, to invite them thereunto. Sometimes a book is read the sooner for the fairness of the characters, which would have been not much looked in if the print had been naught. O how oft do we hear that the thoughts of religion are thrown away with scorn by wicked masters, when their professing servants are taken false, appear proud and undutiful, slothful or neg- ligent! What then follows but. Is this j-our religion ? God keep me from such religion as this ! O commend the ways of God to thy carnal and ungodly master or mistress, by a clear, unblotted conversation in thy place. But withal, let me tell thee, if, doing thy utmost in thy place to promote religion in the family, thou findest that the soil is so cold that there is no visible hope of plant- ing for God, it is time, high time, to think of transplanting thyself; for it is to be feared the place which is so bad to plant in, will not, cannot, be very good for thee to grow and thrive in.
2. Art thou a godly master ? When thou takest a servant into thy house, choose for God as well as thyself. Remember there is work for God to be done Ijy thy servant as well as thyself; and shall he be fit for thy turn that is not for his ? Thou desirest the work should prosper thy servant takes in hand, dost not ? And what ground hast thou, from the promise, to hope that the work should prosper in his hand that sins all the while he is doing of it? ' The plowing of the wicked is sin,' Prov. xxi. 4. A godly servant is a greater bless- ing than we think on. He can work, and set God on work also, for his master's good : Gen. xxiv. 12, ' O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray tliee send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master.' And sure he did his master as much service by his prayer as by his prudence in that journey. If you were but to plant an orchard, you would get the best fruit trees, and not cumber your ground with crabs. There is more loss in a graceless servant in the house tlian a fruitless tree in the orchard. Holy David observed, while lie was at Saul's court, the mischief of having wicked and ungodly servants, for with such was that unhappy king so compassed, that David compares his court to the profane and l)arbarous heathens', among whom there was scarce inore wickedness to be found : Psa. cxx. 6, ' Woe is me, tliat I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell in tiic tents of Kcdar;' that is, among those who were as pro-
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