sobriety, to discharge with fidelity; for being a Gentleman SERM. doth not exempt him from being a Chriftian, but rather LIII. more strictly doth engage him to be fuch in a higher degree than others; it is an obligation peculiarly incumbent on him, in return for God's peculiar favours, to pay God all due obedience, and to exercise himself in all good works; difobedience being a more heinous crime in him than in others, who have not fuch encouragements to ferve God. 24. His obedience may be inculcated by thofe arguments which Joshua and Samuel did ufe in preffing it on the Ifraelites; Only, faid Samuel, fear the Lord, and serve 1 Sam. xii. him in truth; for confider how great things God hath done for you. And, I have given you, faith God by Joshua, a Josh. xxiv. land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not; and ye dwell in them: of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not, do ye eat. Now therefore fear the Lord, and ferve him in fincerity and in truth. 13, 14. 25, &c. Jer. ii. 7. His difobedience may be aggravated, as Nehemiah did that of the Ifraelites: They took ftrong cities and a fat Nehem. ix. land, and poffeffed houfes full of all goods, wells digged, (I.lxiii. 10. vineyards and oliveyards, and fruit-trees in abundance; fo Pfal. cvi. 6. they did eat and were filled, and became fat; and delighted Ezek. xvi. themselves in thy great goodness: nevertheless they were 1 Sam. xv. difobedient, and rebelled against thee, and caft thy law be- 17. hind their backs-They have not ferved thee in their king- 7. dom, and in thy great goodness, which thou gavest them; 1 Kings neither turned they from their wicked works. 2 Sam. xii. xvi. 26.35.) A Gentleman hath more talents committed to him, and confequently more employment required of him: if a ruftic labourer, or a mechanic artifan, hath one talent, a Gentleman hath ten; he hath innate vigour of fpirit, and height of courage fortified by use; he hath accomplishment and refinement of parts by liberal education; he hath the fuccours of parentage, alliance, and friendship; he hath wealth, he hath honour, he hath power and authority, he hath command of time and leisure; he hath fo many precious and ufeful talents intrufted to him, not 20. to be wrapped up in a napkin, or hidden under ground; 25. Luke xix. Matt. xxv. SERM, not to be fquandered away in private fatisfactions; but LIII. for negotiation, to be put out to use, to be improved in the most advantageous way to God's fervice. Every taTúra. lent doth require a particular care and pains to manage it Призна Luke xix. 13. Εργάζεσα Jai. 16, 27. Matt. xxv. 14. Luke xii. well. He particularly is God's steward, intrufted with God's Matt. xxv. fubftance for the fuftenance and fupply of God's family; to relieve his fellow-fervants in their need, upon seasonable occafions, by hospitality, mercy, and charitable benefiΠαρέδωκε τὰ agxora cence; according to that intimation of our Lord, Who is αὑτῶ. that faithful and wife fteward, whom his Lord shall make ruler of his household, to give them their portion and meat in due feafon? And according to those apoftolical precepts, As every one hath received a gift, (or special favour,) even fo minifter the fame to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God: and, Charge the rich in this world, that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to diftribute, willing to communicate. 42. Xágua. Χάρισμα. 1 Pet. iv. 10. 1 Tim. vi. 17, 18. And he that is obliged to purvey for fo many, and fo to abound in good works, how can he want business? How can he pretend to a writ of eafe? Surely that Gentleman is very blind, and very barren of invention, who is to feek for work fit for him, or cannot easily discern many employments belonging to him, of great concern and confequence. It is easy to prompt and shew him many bufineffes, indifpenfably belonging to him, as fuch. It is his business to minifter relief to his poor neighbours, in their wants and diftreffes, by his wealth. It is his business to direct and advise the ignorant, to comfort the afflicted, to reclaim the wicked, and encourage the good, by his wifdom. It is his bufinefs to protect the weak, to rescue the oppreffed, to ease those who groan under heavy burdens, by his power; to be fuch a GenJob xxxi. tleman and fo employed as Job was; who did not eat his morfel alone, fo that the fatherless did not eat thereof; who did not withhold the poor from their defire, or cause the eyes of the widow to fail; who did not fee any perish for want Job xxix. of clothing, or any poor without covering; who delivered 17, 16. Job xxxi. 19. 12. the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had SERM. LIII. none to help him. 2. It is his bufinefs to be hospitable; kind and helpful to 1 Pet. iv. 9. ftrangers; following thofe noble Gentlemen, Abraham Heb. xiii. and Lot, who were fo ready to invite and entertain ftran- Rom. xii. gers with bountiful courtesy. 13. Gen. xviii. It is his business to maintain peace, and appease dissen- 1. xix. 1. fions among his neighbours, interpofing his counsel and authority in order thereto : whereto he hath that brave Gentleman, Mofes, recommended for his pattern. Exod. ii. 13. It is his business to promote the welfare and profperity Aas vii. of his country with his best endeavours, and by all his in- 26. tereft; in which practice the facred Hiftory doth pro- (Judg.v. 9.) pound divers gallant Gentleman (Joseph, Mofes, Samuel, Nehemiah, Daniel, Mordecai, and all fuch renowned patriots) to guide him. 15. It is his business to govern his family well; to educate Josh. xxiv. his children in piety and virtue; to keep his fervants in good order. Pfal. ci. It is his business to look to his eftate, and to keep it from wasting; that he may fuftain the repute of his perfon and quality with decency; that he may be furnished with ability to do good, may provide well for his family, may be hospitable, may have wherewith to help his brethren; for if, according to St. Paul's injunction, a man fhould work with his own hands, that he may have fome- Msradidóval. what to impart to him that needeth, then muft he that Eph. iv. 28. hath an estate be careful to preserve it, for the fame good purpose. It is his business to cultivate his mind with knowledge, with generous difpofitions, with all worthy accomplishments befitting his condition, and qualifying him for ho nourable action; fo that he may excel, and bear himself above the vulgar level, no less in real inward worth, than in exterior garb; that he be not a Gentleman merely in name or thew. Ardua nam res eft opi It is his bufinefs (and that no flight or eafy business) to eschew the vices, to check the paffions, to withstand the bus non temptations, to which his condition is liable; taking heed tradere mo. res. SERM. that his wealth, honour, and power do not betray him LIII. unto pride, infolence, or contempt of his poorer brethren; unto injustice or oppreffion; unto luxury and riotous. excess; unto sloth, stupidity, forgetfulness of God, and irreligious profaneness. It is a business especially incumbent on him to be careful of his ways, that they may have good influence on others, who are apt to look upon him as their guide and pattern. He should labour and ftudy to be a leader unto virtue, and a notable promoter thereof; directing and exciting men thereto by his exemplary conversation; encouraging them by his countenance and authority; rewarding the goodness of meaner people by his bounty and favour: he should be fuch a Gentleman as Noah, who preached righteousness by his words and works before a profane world. Such particular affairs hath every perfon of quality, credit, wealth, and intereft, allotted to him by God, and laid on him as duties; the which to discharge faithfully, will enough employ a man, and doth require industry, much care, much pains; excluding floth and negligence: fo that it is impoffible for a fluggard to be a worthy Gentleman, virtuously difpofed, a charitable neighbour, a good patriot, a good husband of his estate; any thing of that, to which God, by fetting him in fuch a station, doth call him. Thus is a Gentleman obliged to industry in respect of God, who juftly doth exact those labours of piety, charity, and all virtue from him. Farther, 2. He hath alfo obligations to mankind, demanding industry from him, upon accounts of common humanity, equity, and ingenuity; for, How can he fairly fubfift upon the common induftry of mankind, without bearing a fhare thereof? How can he well fatisfy himself to dwell statelily, to feed daintily, to be finely clad, to maintain a pompous retinue, merely upon the sweat and toil of others, without himself rendering a compensation, or making fome competent re turns of care and pain, redounding to the good of his SERM. LIII. neighbour? How can he justly claim, or reasonably expect from the world the respect agreeable to his rank, if he doth not by worthy performances conduce to the benefit of it? Can men be obliged to regard those, from whom they receive no good? If no Gentleman be tied to ferve the public, or to yield help in sustaining the common burdens, and fupplying the needs of mankind, then is the whole order merely a burden, and an offence to the world; a race of drones, a pack of cyphers in the commonwealth, standing for nothing, deferving no confideration or regard and if any are bound, then all are; for why fhould the whole burden lie on fome, while others are exempted? It is indeed fuppofed, that all are bound thereto, feeing that all have recompenfes publicly allowed to them upon fuch confiderations; divers refpects and privileges peculiar to the order, grounded upon this fuppofition, that they deferve fuch advantages by conferring notable benefit to the public; the which indeed it were an arrogance to seek, and an iniquity to accept for doing nothing. It is an infufferable pride for any man to pretend or conceit himself to differ fo much from his brethren, that he may be allowed to live in eafe and floth, while the rest of mankind are subject to continual toil and trouble. Moreover, 3. A Gentleman is bound to be industrious for his own fake; it is a duty which he oweth to himself, to his honour, to his intereft, to his welfare. He cannot without industry continue like himself, or maintain the honour and repute becoming his quality and state, or secure himfelf from contempt and disgrace; for to be honourable and flothful are things inconfiftent, feeing honour doth not grow, nor can fubfift without undertaking worthy defigns, constantly purfuing them, and happily achieving |