people; yea, and Christians after them, in many ages to this day.

9. Consider how great the temptations are, of men that are in power, wealth and pleasure; and then you will pity them, and pray for them. Who knoweth what you would have done yourselves, if you had their temptations? They have a stronger worldly interest to tempt them against that law of Christ, which calls them another way, than other men have. They have more full and constant provision for all the desires of the flesh; they are more than any other men assaulted by subtle and designing seducers, who have their worldly ends (on church-pretences usually) to attain by their seduction: they are more in danger of the infectious breath of flatterers, and the false accusers of godliness and good men, than any others: they use to be deprived of the common needful benefit to mankind, of faithful and plaindealing friends and monitors, and truth is usually kept far from them, and out of such a hearing as is needful for conviction. And to live continually under such dangerous temptations, needeth more than man for their preservation, from deceit, and sin, and the ruin of themselves and hurt of others.

10. Our obedience to God were far from a tried praiseworthy degree, if it cost us little or nothing; and doubtless Christ will bear all your charges. O what an excellent servant is that, who will cheerfully do all his duty, to an unjust and abusive master! What an excellent child is that, who useth all due reverence, obedience, love and patience, to a freward, harsh, yea, and a malignant father. Not disobeying God, nor hazarding his soul by wilful sin, or forsaking godliness, and yet not dishonouring his parents, or disobeying them in any lawful thing! What an excellent wife is that, who constantly and patiently performeth all loving and cheerful duty, to an abusive, furious, drunken, profane, malignant husband! This requireth abundance more grace, than to live in cheerful love and duty to a godly, tender, loving husband. The former sort is called, more acceptable to God, and the latter sort of duty, is no glory; 1 Pet. ii. 20. To suffer for sin, is indeed a bitter suffering, even for that which is worse than suffering. "It is better, if the will of God be so, that we suffer for well doing than for evil doing: For Christ also hath once suf

fered for sins, the just for the unjust;" 1 Pet. iii. 17, 18. "For hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suf fered, he threatened not, but committed all to him that judgeth righteously;" 1 Pet. ii. 21-23. O follow this excellent example: there lieth more of Christianity in learning of Christ to suffer from foolish wicked men, than most will think of.

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Servants obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God; and whatever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance;" Col. iii. 22. "Not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward;" 1 Pet. ii. 18. These are the excellent precepts of

Christ.

It is therefore inconsiderately said by many, 'If I had deserved such usage, I could have borne it.' As if suffering without sin, were not a lighter burden than sin and suffering for it. The oppressor hurts himself a hundred times more than he can hurt you, (if you do no worse to yourself than he doth,) as guilt of oppression is a cause to such to weep and howl for the miseries that shall come upon them: their riches are corrupted, and their gold and silver cankered, and the rust of them shall eat their flesh as fire, and they heap up treasure for the last days. The cries of the poor labourers oppressed by them, are entered into the ears of the Lord; "They live in pleasures and wantonness on earth, and nourish their hearts, in feasting and fulness, and condemn and kill the just, who resist them not. Be patient therefore brethren to the coming of the Lord;" James v. "God will speedily avenge his elect that cry to him, though now he delay;" Luke xviii.

CASE, VIII.

Superior's Sufferings by Bad Children, Servants, Tenants or Subjects.

Another case that needeth patience, is the suffering of superiors by bad children and servants, tenants, tradesmen and others, whom they must use and trust. Of bad children I

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have partly spoken before; natural love maketh this one of the heaviest afflictions in the world. When parents have been at all that suffering, care, labour and cost, which go to the bringing of children into the world, and bringing them up from the breasts to maturity, and teaching them their duty to God and man, and preparing them to be useful to themselves and others, that after all this, they should prove brutish, fleshly sots, that are slaves to their bellies, and wallow in the sink of filthy lust, and savour nothing but pride and fleshly pleasure, and the belief of God's word. hath no power to change them, yea, perhaps prove haters of serious holiness, and enemies of good men, and plagues to their country, and fight against the only means of their own and other men's salvation. Oh! what a heartbreaking affliction is this! Yea, when in case of the most ungodly error, or swinish appetite and lust, the counsel, the tears, the prayers of parents cannot move them to any true repentance or reformation. I confess, I that never had a child, am no fit judge of the heaviness of this cross.

I have written my thoughts to such miserable youths, and partly to parents, in a small book, called "Compassionate Counsel to Young Men." I here briefly add,

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1. In this sad case, make not light of it, or as ungodly parents do, that are troubled more for their children's wastfulness and want than for their souls. And yet be not overmuch cast down: neglect no means (prayer, counsel, company, &c.) which may tend to their recovery, while there is any hope; and especially look back (not with despair) but with true repentance upon your own sins of youth against God, your parents, and yourselves. And then examine wheyou have dealt with Christian wisdom and fidelity to have prevented their misery, in their education. Did you with love and diligence labour to make them understand the things of God and their salvation? Did you labour to bring it to their hearts, that they might fear God and his judgments, and know the evil and danger of sin? Did you labour to make religion pleasant to them by shewing them the goodness of it, and avoiding harsh, averting ways? Did y watch over their ways, and keep them from a custom of pleasing their appetites overmuch? And did you engage them in wise and good company, and use them in religious exercises, and keep them from the infectious company of

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bad licentious youths, especially in places of plays and gaming, drinking and idleness, wicked schools, or academies, where temptations are too strong for fleshly, inexperienced youth. If you have failed in these duties, and have sent your children among the vicious, sensual and malignant, whether on pretence of learning, ministry, courtship, breeding, or gainful trades, no wonder if both they and you do suffer by it, and if they be plagues to their country and to you, who have been plagues and treacherous to them, and sent them as into a pest-house, or a stews, and then are grieved for their diseases.

2. Be humbled for the viciousness of your own natures, which had the root of all these sins, and conveyed them originally to your children.

3. Let it make you the more sensible of the greatness of God's mercy, which hath healed your natures, and pardoned your sin, and saved you from that wilful sottishness and wickedness, which others are given over to, of which you were in danger.

4. The thoughts of the far greater misery of most of the world, who lie in idolatry, infidelity, wickedness or error, may somewhat drown the sense of a particular affliction : as the common plague in London did overcome the sense of the loss of our own friends; and the common fire overcame the sense of the loss of our houses.

5. Yet while there is life there is hope. God hath ways enough to humble and break the stiffest, and the hardest heart: therefore pray for them and warn them to the last.

6. Grace maketh all Christ's members dear to us as well as our own kindred. Christ himself answered, when they mentioned his mother and brethren, that they that heard God's word and kept it, were his mother, sisters and brethren. And when one said, "Blessed is the womb that bare thee," he said, "Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the ord of God, and do it." Therefore rejoice in the welfare of all the children of God in heaven and on earth, who will be as dear to you as your own children.

7. Submit to God's absolute dominion, who best knoweth what to do with his own, and never did wrong to any, nor can do, and will satisfy all at last of the wisdom and goodness of all his dispensations.

II. Bad servants also are to some an exercise of patience,

some will not learn nor be reformed, but hate goodness and live wickedly: some in drunkenness, filthiness, gaming and play-houses; some deceive and rob their masters; some are eyeservants and slothful, and make no conscience of any fault or neglect which they can but hide, or excuse with lying; some burn their masters' houses, or undo them, or at least much damage them by heedlessness, carelessness and forgetfulness; and the best ofttimes prove very costly by their neglects.

In all these cases, 1. Repent of all your neglects of them. If you have not diligently taught them the principles of religion, which should have made them better, or if you have not seriously endeavoured their true conversion and sanctification, and bringing heavenly things to their hearts, which would have kept out the love of sin; or if you have not taught them a conscionable life, by a careful example of it in yourselves; be humbled, and acknowledge the justness of your correction, and bear it as the fruit of your own sin.

2. Be sure that the sin and misery of your servants be more grievous to you than your own loss and suffering by them. It is but temporal things that you lose,

3. Remember what unprofitable, and unfaithful servants you have been to God, and how much more he daily beareth with in us all.

4. Remember that the frailty of man is such, that nothing will be done perfectly which imperfect persons do. The wisest and best are liable to many oversights, forgetfulness and omissions, and have much which must be borne with.

5. Be the more careful that you fail not in any of the duty which you owe to them or any others: for our own sin hurts us more than others.

III. What I say of servants, may serve as to the case of bad tenants, who will not pay their rents; and bad tradesmen that unconscionably borrow and break, and live on other men's estates, and ruin others by their falseness. God will permit man's badness to shew itself; and he will have all worldly things appear to be transitory, and unsatisfactory, and accompanied with vexation.

IV. As to the patience necessary in princes and magistrates to bad, provoking subjects, I am not to meddle with it, being discharged by rulers from being a monitor to them.