vant, and defend his conduct from the false accusations of his heartless and cruel relative. "Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction, and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee."

Third, Inflexible integrity is also a leading characteristic of the consistent servant. This has respect, not only to truth from their lips, but rectitude in every part of their conduct. The injunctions of the Spirit by the Apostle already quoted, demand a rigid regard to truth. Yet it must be lamented that the opposite of this is the sin of servants in the present age; and it is here that many take the fatal step towards the ruin of their own character and prospects. To conceal a fault, or to cover an accident, a falsehood is framed, which requires others to support its credit; and a habit of deceit is formed, which undermines the whole moral character. The attempt to deceive is but self-deception. Here the warning voice of the Spirit is succeeded by the dread reality, "Be sure your sin will find you out."

But the principle of integrity must not only be enthroned upon the lips-it must be embodied in the whole living character. According to the current maxims of society, the term dishonest suggests the idea of forgery, or robbery, or some other mode of defrauding violently, our neighbours of their property. The acts of fraud which startle society, are such as are boldly executed, and, when prosecuted, may lead to the imprisonment or banishment of their perpetrators. But how many servants are found daily guilty of those petty frauds which, though apparently trifling in the sight of men, are acts of dishonesty in the sight of God! How little do some servants regard the time of their masters! How many spend in idleness, or in their own pursuits, that time which they have consented to devote to their master's business for stipulated wages! To waste the time for which money is paid, and to neglect the business for which servants are employed, is simply to defraud the master of his property, to the amount unjustly earned; and it may be to injure his business in a much larger amount. An idle servant not only neglects his own duties, but leads others to misspend their time. "He that is slothful in his work, is brother to him that is a great waster." Nothing less is required by the faithful servant, than a conscientious discharge of all that falls within the legitimate sphere of relative duty. A faithful servant will not consult his own ease and humour, but his master's true interest. He will seek the prosperity of his employer, and carefully avoid everything which may tend to his loss. In short, the upright servant cannot but feel a moral interest in all that pertains to the comfort and prosperity of the household where service is rendered. The locality assigned is not felt as the circumscribed limits of a prison, but as a joyous sphere of active duty. Cherishing this spirit, Joseph rose to eminence, both in the house of Potiphar and in the court of Pharaoh. Having the fear of God in his heart, his whole demeanour was such as to inspire confidence and attract attention, so that even a heathen master could trace the prosperity of his house to the fear of God, exhibited in the integrity

of his servant. "His master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.”

Let it also be kept constantly in view, that the distinction between mine and thine, are not in the slightest degree obliterated by the formation of any engagement of servitude. The property of the master remains intact. The wages of the servant define the extent of the profits to be realised by the service rendered. Everything beyond this remains in the hands, and is only at the disposal of the master, just as it was before the engagement was formed. Consequently, every act of self-appropriation is dishonesty, aggravated by the fact that it is accompanied by breach of confidence. How deeply offended would the servant feel, should the master keep back, or even give away to benevolent purposes, a portion of the stipulated wages ! How indignant would a maid-servant feel, should her mistress give away, in acts of charity, this or that article of clothing, in which she claimed an exclusive right! And yet it is no uncommon thing for servants to dispose of their master's property in acts of apparent benevolence-giving to the poor that which is not their own. And, alas! there are many who pilfer and steal for base resetters, that they may spend it upon their lusts, and the enjoyment of guilty pleasures. How common to see, in the dusk of the evening, a female figure stooping down at some cellar window, in our cities, over a partially concealed basket, which is being stealthily replenished by a domestic within! Nor is it unusual, elsewhere, to hear the significant rap at the outer gate or back door, from which a servant ushers, well freighted with the luxuries of the larder, which are exchanged at a ruinous discount for drink, or for some of the vanities of female adornments! How common is it, also, to take liberties with the viands of the table, though a sufficiency of convenient food has been seasonably and regularly administered! This appropriation or dispersion of the master's goods is dishonesty of an aggravated type, and usually ends in the ruin of character and comfort. The tenth commandment, which forbids us to covet anything that is our neighbour's, is not abrogated by transferance to the house of a master or employer; neither is the precept which forbids to steal rendered flexible by the formation of any new relation. The rights of property remain the same as before, and woe be to that domestic who converts the bond of servitude into a means of larceny.

Fourth, Fidelity is another characteristic of the dutiful servant. Many temptations spring from the fact, that their master's goods are passing through their hands in such a way, that petty appropriations are very difficult of detection. The abiding sense of the divine presence, and remembrance of the divine law, are the best preventives of the rising of a spirit of covetousness. But it is not only in the matter of goods or business that the servant is intrusted. Faithfulness requires that the reputation of the master and his household should be safe in their keeping. As members of the family, they must be cognisant of many things which belong only to the household, and ought never to be breathed beyond the domestic threshold. It is a breach of confidence to bruit abroad the secrets of the dwelling

into which they have been introduced, under the obligations of a member of the family. To repeat, even to a crony, what may be overheard, is to act the part of a spy, and to employ the sacred relations of domestic life for the betrayal of those whom they are bound to guard and honour. On the other hand, it is equally improper for servants to carry evil tidings from without, or to listen to those who may be ready to destroy the reputation of the family in which they may be serving. How many heart-burnings are engendered by this retailing of local gossip! How many servants are rendered unhappy, at the outset of their temporary service, by listening to the tale of calumny directed against their employers! Prejudices are engendered, which utterly unfit for present duty, and which must necessarily lead to the very evils so much dreaded. It is not uncommon for minds thus poisoned with the shafts of malice, to look to the ensuing term as the only season of deliverance; and, consequently, ere a single duty is discharged, every proper sense of duty is perverted, and every injunction to duty is viewed through a distorted medium! Let servants, then, beware of those haunts of deception, where the poison of sympathetic calumny is stealthily administered to the domestic system, in consequence of which, the noblest feelings and affections of our nature are paralysed or destroyed. Such parties have their own ends to serve by the prejudice engendered, and will be equally ready, when occasion serves, to accuse their dupes to the next employer. One of the characteristics of the upright man is, that "he taketh not up a reproach against his neighbour"; and, certainly, it least of all becomes such as are introduced to membership in the household, to take reproach against those whom God requires them faithfully to serve and honour!

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Fifth, It is the duty of servants to sympathize with their masters in personal or family afflictions. The general social principle-" Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep"-here finds a special and deeply important application. You expect, in the day of some happy event, that you shall realize a share in the family joy; and does it not follow, that family sorrows ought to meet a sympathetic response in your bosom? Does disease attack the head of the household, or any member in the family? then you are called to selfdenying attention. There must be no bitter murmurings, though there should be at times required the duty of midnight watching. How melancholy sometimes to find the feelings of the sick one wounded by the air of indifference, which testifies that there is no real concern for the alleviation of suffering! How degrading to the sympathies of our common humanity, when advantage is taken of the sickness of the head of the household, or of a child in the family, to appropriate goods, waste time, or destroy domestic property! And yet, alas! this is nothing uncommon in the sad experience of social life. The period of affliction, or the visit of death, is, in many cases, the signal for the approach of those harpies, whose moral sensibilities are completely blunted, and who seem to exist that they may prey upon the vitals of humanity in the day of sorrow and bereavement! Are there not to be found servants to whom the death of a mistress is the signal for self-appropriation of

whatever the covetous eye may fancy? This is fraud of the deepest dye,—a specious of guilt that might hide its head in presence of even those who invade the sacred tomb in their predatory acts of spoliation! And yet it is no uncommon thing to hear the complaints of a bereaved husband, regarding this or that domestic, who, in the season of sorrow, has made extensive appropriations. But while we write thus, let it not be supposed that we believe that this is the general character of servants. There are many noble exceptions, who, by their kindly attention, fidelity, and affection, in the season of trouble, do all that is possible to alleviate the afflictions of the family. There is a noble self-sacrificing spirit at times displayed in tending to a sick child, even where the disease may be contagious, and in watching by the sick-bed of a mistress laid prostrate by affliction. It is in such seasons that the value of a faithful Christian servant must be appreciated; and cold must be that selfishness which would overlook the special services rendered in the season of distress! But even though this might be the reward from the hand of ungrateful man, there is another Master, even God himself, who will not overlook the faithful discharge of duty in any of the relationships of life; and unto Him such service is well-pleasing. Even here, there is found the truth of the divine announcement, "Them that honour me I will honour; but they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed."

Sixth, It is the duty of servants to encourage the cultivation of family religion. This may be done in daily intercourse with children and fellow-servants. The youthful mind is influenced by the conversation and conduct of all with whom it is brought into contact. Though only servants, your character is not divested of responsibility. The influence imparted will bear its fruits for good or evil, long after the period of servitude has expired; and the account of that responsibility will remain to be investigated, when all the relations of time have for ever passed away. If the temper is unsubdued, it will stir up the evil temper of others around you. If your conversation is impure, it will corrupt other minds. If your conduct is base, it will pollute the moral atmosphere of the dwelling, and bring, it may be, scandal and ruin upon the family, through some of its members, seduced by your example or influence from the paths of virtue. Hence the necessity for the maintenance of the strictest purity and circumspection. Be careful, also, in the intimacies formed beyond the family, lest, through their influence, you may be tempted to the neglect of duty, or be led, through inadvertence, into the paths of vice. Cultivate, rather, the privileges enjoyed in the family. Give good heed to the lessons of instruction imparted. Be regular in attendance at family catechising and domestic worship. Thus shewing all fidelity in the discharge of relative duties, you will "adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour," and sweeten the bitterest trials and ills of life. Let it be the care of servants to arrange their work, that there may be no obstacles in the way of family worship, nor infringement upon the sanctity of the Sabbath. Where there is unity in ecclesiastical fellowship, let the bonds of church membership be strengthened and sweetened by submission and punetuality in all domestic duties; and even where this unity may be

wanting, let there be Christian forbearance, without the sacrifice of truth or principle. Let the temporal and spiritual interests of masters and households lie near your heart; then affection will spontaneously spring up, and labour will be lightened in the atmosphere of love. We cannot better illustrate what we mean, than by the insertion of a single paragraph from a long letter, written by a faithful father to his emigrant daughter, who had become a servant in a Christian family in America. "Our minister joins me in congratulating you on the high privilege you enjoy,-that the lines have fallen to you in pleasant places,-and that you are living in the family of a gentleman belonging to your own church. Now, treat him, my dear child, with the same respect that you would me; and be as attentive to his orders as you would be to mine. Let nothing provoke you to leave him, for I hope the Lord has chosen him to be a father to you. Pay every regard and respect to your master and mistress, and be as watchful for their interest as if all was your own-not like an eyeservant, but with every carefulness promoting their welfare both by word and deed; and the Lord will then promote your welfare and bless you."

Seventh, It is the duty of servants to economise their own resources, and to expend with frugality and care the fruits of their labour. In nothing, perhaps, is there less regard to the rules of propriety, than in the matter of expending wages. With some, gay and unsuitable clothing exhausts the produce of each succeeding term. Nay, it is here that the temptation to pilfer frequently begins; the whole amount earned being unable to meet the insatiable cravings of vanity. Nothing could possibly be more foolish. It is vain to think that either superiors or equals will respect a servant more for superfluity in clothing. A vain display will rather lead to the inquiry, whether such can be honestly obtained. There are duties to parents, who may require aid in the decline of life. These obligations of affection and gratitude should be promptly and cheerfully met. There are obligations to God in relation to his Church; and these should be reckoned first in the items of expenditure. There is provision for a season of sickness or of settlement in life; and for this, a portion ought to be systematically deposited. The idea of an hospital, when health is impaired, ought never to be entertained; and far less the prodigal hope, that when no longer able to serve, the doors of a poor-house will be open to receive the indigent! By economy and care, the faithful servant may rise to a settled position of comfort and independence. The labour of such is their capital, and that capital at length invested, may afford comfort in the decline of life. Jacob, and Joseph, and Daniel, rose from servitude to the exercise of authority; and thousands, in every age, rise from the ranks of labour, to spheres of dignity and influence. Trading with the talents which God has bestowed, is the divinely appointed means for ascension to a higher station. To be faithful over a few things, is the qualification for obtaining authority over many things; and the God of providence has so arranged His social institutions, that the discharge of relative duty is succeeded by the promised reward.