wicked; but he blesseth the habitation of the juste." "The wicked are overthrown, and are not; but the house of the righteous shall stand." "The house of the wicked shall be overthrown; but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourishs." "The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness." Go not into a falling house. 2. A master that feareth God, will help to save you from sin and hell, and help, your souls to life eternal: he may do more for you, than if he make you kings and rulers of the earth. He will hinder you from sin: he will teach you to know God, and to prepare for your salvation. Whereas, ungodly masters will rather discourage you, and by mocks or threatenings,, seek to drive you from a holy life, and use their wit, and work, and authority, to hinder your salvation: or at best will take little care of your souls but think. if they provide you food and wages, they have done their parts. 3. A magter that feareth God will do you no wrong, but will love you as a Christian, and his fellow-servant of Christ, while he commandeth and employeth you as his own servant, which cannot be expected from ignorant, ungodly, worldly men. Direct, v. Yet, choose such a service as you are fit to undergo, with the least hindrance of the service of God, and of your souls. Neither a life of idleness, nor of excess of business should be chosen, if you have your, choice. For when the mind is overwhelmed with the cares of your service, and your bodies tired with excessive labour, you will have little time, or heart, or power, to mind the matters of your souls with any seriousness. Yea, the Lord's day will be spent with little, comfort, when the toil of the week days hath left the body fit for nothing but to sleep. A service which alloweth you no time, at all to pray, or read the Scripture, or mind your everlasting state, is a life more fit for beasts than men.

Direct. VI. If you can attain it, live where your fellow-servants, fear, God, as well as the master of the family.' For fellow-servants usually converse with one another more frequently and familiarly than their masters do with any of them. And therefore if a master give you the most,

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heavenly instructions, the idle, frothy talk of fellow-servants may blot out all from your memories and hearts. And their derision of a holy life, or their bad examples, may do more hurt, than the precepts of the governors can do good. Whereas when a master's counsels are seconded by the good discourse and practice of fellow-servants, it is a great encouragement to good, and keepeth the heart in a continual warmth and resolution.

Direct. VII. If you want any one of these accommodations, be the more diligent in such an improvement of the rest, as may make up your want.' If you have a good teacher and a bad master, improve the helps of your teacher the more diligently. If you have a bad master and good fellow-servants, or a good master and bad fellow-servants, thank God for that which you have, and make the best of it.

Direct. vIII. ‘If you would be accommodated yourselves with the best master and usage, labour to be the best servants; and then it is. two, to one, but you, may have your choice. Good servants are so scarce, and so much valued, that the best places would strive for you, if you will strive to be such. Excel others in labour and diligence, and trustiness, and obedience, and gentleness, and patience, and then you may have almost what places you desire. But if you will yourselves, be idle, and slothful, and deceitful, and false, and disobedient, and unmannerly, and self-willed, and contentious, and impatient, and yet think that you must be respected, and used as good and faithful servants, it is but a foolish expectation. For what obligation is there upon others, in point of justice, to give you that, which you deserve not? Indeed if any be bound to keep you in mere charity, then you may plead charity with them and not desert; but if they take you but as servants, they owe you nothing but what your work and virtues shall deserve.

CHAPTER III.

A Disputation, or Arguments to prove the Necesssity of Family Worship and Holiness, or Directions against the Cavils of the Profane, and some Sectaries, who deny it to be a Thing required by God.

Whether the solemn Worship of God, in and by Families as such, be of Divine Appointment? Aff.

THAT excellent speech of Mirandula is oft in mind, ‘Veritatem philosophia quærit, theologia invenit, religio possidet.' I do therefore with greater alacrity and delight dispute these points that are directly religious, that is, immediately practical, than those that are only remotely such: and though I am loath we should see among us any wider division inter philosophum theologum et religiosum' than between the fantasy, the intellect, and the will, which never are found disjunct in any act; or rather than between the habits of practical natural knowledge, and the habits of practical supernatural knowledge, and the practical resolutions, affections and endeavours, into which both the former are devolved; yet may we safely and profitably distinguish, where it would be mortal to divide. If, disputing in our present case, do but tend to, and end in, a religious performance, we shall then be able to say, we disputed not in vain; when by experience of the delight and profit of God's work, we perceive that we do not worship him in vain : otherwise to evince by a dispute, that God should be worshipped; and not to worship him when we have done, is but to draw forth our learning, and sharpen our wits to plead our condemnation; as if the accuser wanted our help, or the Judge of all the world did want evidence and arguments against us, unless he had it from our own mouth. Concerning the sense of the terms, I shall say somewhat, both as to the subject, and the predicate, that we contend not in the dark; and yet but little, lest I trouble myself and you with needless labours.

1. By the worship of God' we mean not only, nor principally, obedience as such: or service in common things,

called 'Asλela:' but we mean a religious performance of some sacred actions, with an intention of honouring God as God; and that more directly than in common works of obedience. This being commonly called 'Aarpeia' is by Austin and since him by all the orthodox, appropriated to God alone, and indeed to give it to any other is contrary to its definition.

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This worship is of two sorts, whereof the first is by an excellency called 'worship,' viz. When the honour of God is so directly the end and whole business of the work, that our own advantage falls in but impliedly, and in evident subordination such are the blessed works of praise and thanksgiving, which we here begin and shall in heaven perpetuate. Yet see a more admirable mystery of true religion; we indeed receive more largely from God, and enjoy more fully our own felicity in him, in these acts of worship, that give all to God, than in the other wherein we more directly seek for somewhat from him. And those are the second sort of worship-actions, viz. When the substance or matter of the work is a seeking, or receiving somewhat from God, or delivering something religiously in his name, and so is more directly for ourselves; though it is God that should be our ultimate end in this too. You may perceive I make this of three sorts. Whereof the first consisteth in our religious addresses to God for something that we want; and is called prayer. The second consisteth in our religious addresses to God to receive somewhat from him; viz. 1. Instructions, precepts, promises, threatenings, from his mouth, messengers, &c. 2. The sacramental signs of his grace in baptism and the Lord's supper. The third is, when the officers of Christ do in his name solemnly deliver either his laws or sacraments. His laws either in general by ordinary preaching, or by a more particular application in acts of discipline. 2. The word solemn' signifies sometimes any thing usual and so some derive it, 'Solenne est quod fieri solet.' Sometimes that which is done but on one set day in the year; and so some make 'solenne' to be quasi solum semel in anno.' But vulgarly it is taken, and so we take it here, for both celebre et usitatum,' that is, a thing that is not accidentally and seldom, but statedly and ordinarily to be done, and that with such gravity and honourable seriousness as beseems a business of such weight.

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3. By 'family' we mean, not a tribe or stock of kindred, dwelling in many houses as the word is taken oft in Scripture, but I mean a household.

'Domus et familia,' a ' household and family,' are indeed in economics somewhat different notions, but one thing. 'Domus' is to familia' as civitas' to 'respublica,' the former is made the subject of the latter, the latter the 'finis internus' of the former. And so Domus est societas naturæ consentanea, e personis domesticis, vitæ in dies omnes commode sustentandæ causa, collecta. Familia est ordo domus per regimen patris-familias in personas sibi subjectas.'

Where note, that to a complete family must go four integral parts Pater familias, mater familias, filius, servus.' 'A father, mother, son, and servant.' But to the essence of a family it sufficeth if there be but the pars imperans, et pars subsida', one head or governor, either father, mother, master, or mistress; and one or more governed under this head.

Note therefore that the governor is an essential part of the family, and so are some of the governed (viz. that such there be) but not each member. If therefore twenty children, or servants shall worship God without the father, or master of the family either present himself, or in some representative, it is not a family worship in strict sense. But if the head of the family in himself (or delegate or representative) be present, with any of his children or servants, though all the rest be absent, it is yet a family duty; though the family be incomplete and maimed (and so is the duty therefore, if culpably so performed).

4. When I say 'in and by' a family, I mean not that each must do the same parts of the work, but that one (either the head or some one deputed by him, and representing him) be the mouth, and the rest performing their parts by receiving instructions, or mentally concurring in the prayers and praise by him put up. Lastly, by 'divine appointment' I mean any signification of God's will, that it is men's duty to perform this. Whether a signification by natural means or supernatural, directly or by consequence, so we may be sure it is God's will. The sum of the question then is, 'Whether any sacred actions religiously and