A Present for Servants, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Of the Temptations and Hindrances of the Servants Calling. [1.] By being bred in Ignorance.
THE Duties of Servants are of ſuch Importance, that the Devil and a corrupt Heart will be ſure to lay in the way, or at leaſt to pretend many hindrances. Indeed all Places and Callings have their Inconveniencies, and the Devil ſuits his Baits not only to the inward Conſtitutions, but to their outward Conditions. He has one Wile for the Rich, and another for the Poor, one for the Maſter and another for the Servant. And as every one ſhould be acquainted with his Special Duty, ſo with the particular Temptations to which his place does expoſe him, and what Remedies the Word does preſcribe. I ſhall name three Hindrances of Servants more comprehenſive than the reſt.
1. The Firſt is Ignorance, the common ſnare of Countrey Servants. Many of which, by the Poverty, and Careleſſneſs of their Parents, and Friends, cannot ſo much as Read, and tho' ſome would Charitably have paid for their Schooling in their Child-hood, they could not be ſpar'd from their Work. Many of them are of ſuch a rough Diſpoſition, and rugged temper, that they are as a wild Aſſes Colt, Job 11.12. and indeed this is the dreadfulneſs of their caſe, that they are not only ignorant, but (as they grew up) are affectedly and willingly ſo. Nay ſo far are ſome beſotted, that they make their ignorance their excuſe or pretence to caſt off all duty, and to oppoſe thoſe that would help them in it: they think it enough to ſay they are not Book-learn'd, or are no Scholars: and though they were created with faculties capable of underſtanding and remembring the things of God, and in other things are wiſe for their age and breeding, yet the Oxe knows his Owner, and the Aſs his Maſter's Crib, but my people do not know. — Iſa. 1.2. Great is the compaſſion and condeſcenſion of God in revealing the myſteries of Religion to us. He has not dealt ſo with other Nations. He might have ſpoken his mind in lofty ſtrains, above the capacity of Creatures to conceive, but the neceſſary things are ſo plainly revealed, and eaſily remembred, that even Children have attained to great underſtanding therein, and yet they are truths of ſo great moment, that the learned Apoſtle deſpis'd all the wiſdom of this World in compariſon of the knowledge of Chriſt, nay, theſe things the Angels themſelves deſire to pry into. How frequently has this general ignorance been bewail'd, and the danger of it diſcovered to our careleſs Servants? How often has the cry of wiſdom been heard, How long you ſimple ones will you love ſimplicity, and ye fools hate knowledge? if you had had no means of Grace, nor Goſpel light, the caſe had been lamentable, Pro. 29.18. where there is no Viſion, the people periſh; but this is the condemnation that light is come into the World, and men love darkneſs rather than light, Joh. 3.19. if the word of Chriſt had not been ſpoken to you, you had not had ſin, in compariſon of what you have now, for now you have no cloak for your ſin, your conceitedneſs and obſtinacy. Joh. 9.39, 41. your ignorance is no leſs than direct enmity, and ſaying to God, Depart from us, we deſire not the knowledge of thy ways, Job 21.14. and how juſt will be the Sentence, for God to ſay to you, Depart from me, I know you not. Thus my people periſh for lack of knowledge, Hoſ. 6.4. and have that dreadful Curſe mention'd, Job 36.12. to dye without knowledge; and being a people of no underſtanding, He that made them will not have mercy upon them, and he that form'd them will ſhew them no favour, Iſa. 27.11. And when Chriſt ſhall be revealed in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that know not God, how will the Men of Niniveh, of Tyre, of India, riſe up in judgment againſt thoſe that periſh in ignorance, from under Goſpellight, and Calls of Grace therein?
To remedy this ſore hindrance of all good, I exhort Servants,
1. Diligently to attend on the means of knowledge, and carefully to improve them. You do (at leaſt feemingly) attend on the preaching of the Word in the Publick Aſſemblies, but alas! To how little purpoſe, you eaſily perceive, when you cannot give the leaſt account of what you have heard, nor of the ſcope or drift of the plaineſt Sermons; and except in ſome few whoſe Affections being drawn out by a Sermon, do afterwards ſeek after knowledge, we find by Experience, that Preaching, to thoſe that are ignorant of the firſt Principles, is like building without any Foundation laid. God has appointed Catechizing as the ordinary means of Inſtruction in his Church, which you are called to ſubmit unto. And perhaps your Submiſſion to the Miniſtry in this Ordinance, is the only poſſible way that knowledge is to be had for ſome of you. Are there not of you that live with Maſters as careleſs as your ſelves, from whom you ſhall not hear a ſerious word about God or Chriſt, from one end of the Week to the other? Which way can you expect to learn, if you refuſe our help? Think not that Catechizing is only for Children, when your ſelves are Children in underſtanding, and being grown in Years, have need to make the more haſt to learn. If you ſtay a little longer, it will be too late to teach you, nothing almoſt being more untractable than ignorant and ungodly Old Age. Will you defer being inſtructed till you have Families of your own, and have others to teach and inſtruct? Oh, do not multiply the number of Prayerleſs, Careleſs Families. I know the uſual Plea is, That you are aſham'd to anſwer, eſpecially before the Congregation. Indeed ignorance is matter of ſhame, but it is every where repreſented in Scripture as a lovely thing, to ſee young perſons forward in coming to Chriſt, and a great honour it is to be examples to others in ſeeking after inſtruction. It is a ſad thing that the Ordinances ſhould be accuſed as a matter of ſhame, and how then can you think of appearing before the greateſt Aſſembly at laſt? And what dreadful ſhame and confuſion of Face, will Chriſtleſs Souls be covered with then, when all your ſecret ſins ſhall be made manifeſt, and all your fooliſh hopes daſh'd, and God himſelf ſhall pour contempt upon you? It is true, it is better to come and learn privately, as Nicodemus by Night, than not at all; but a little uſe and experience of the good of it, will make Publick Catechizing delightful to you. For indeed you muſt do what you do with a willing chearfulneſs: Let a Man account of us as Stewards, &c. Now the Family run willingly to the Steward for their Food. And they that know what the Scripture means by digging for knowledge, will attend upon the means with conſtancy. For then ſhall you know if you follow on to know the Lord, Hoſ. 6.3. Suppoſing alſo that you practiſe what you know, for a good underſtanding have all they that do his Commandments, Pſ. 111.10.
2. The other remedy is to cry and pray hard for knowledge, and as Solomon ſaith, to lift up your voice for underſtanding. Pray, and get others to pray for you — that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wiſdom and ſpiritual underſtanding, Col. 1.9. that God would open your underſtandings, and then give light and knowledge thereunto, that the father of glory would give unto you the ſpirit of wiſdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, The eyes of your underſtandings being enlightned, Eph. 1.17, 18. that you may not only be taught of men, but, as it is written in the Prophets, may be taught of God. That you may not only have ſome Conceptions of Chriſt in your Minds, of his Perſon, his Nature, his Perfections, his Offices, and States of Humiliation and Exaltation; but that you may comprehend with all Saints what is the heighth, and length, and breadth, and depth of the love of Chriſt, and to know it, though it paſſeth knowledge; that you may know him in his Beauty, his Fullneſs, his Willingneſs, his Preſence and Power of his love in your Souls; that you may ſo know him, as by Faith to come to him, receive and embrace him. Theſe are the things which he has promis'd to beſtow in the Covenant of Grace, and gives forth in a way of Prayer. Go to him as the Father of lights, who gives liberally, and will not upbraid, nor twit you with the ignorance in which you were bred, nor the careleſsneſs in which you liv'd ſo long.