off of this But to passe by this why doth the Apostle say Obey your Masters according to the Flesh What needed this addition I answer that this may bee referred eyther to Masters or Servants If to Masters the sense is this That Servants must bee obedient even to such Masters as are fleshly and carnall men And indeed what greater praise can happen to a Christian man than to shew himselfe a Ioseph in the house of a Putiphar If to servants they serve as a limitation shew them to bee subject onely in respect of their flesh and so here are two things remarkable The one exprest viz That the Bodies of servants are with Christian mercy and moderation to bee disposed of at their masters pleasure They should learne therefore from hence willingly to suffer their flesh to be commanded and corrected by them The other implied viz. That none but GOD alone must bee acknowledged to hâ—ve dominion over their soules and consciences It was the answer of a Lacedaemonian youth to his Maâ—ter That hee might command him what was unâ—itting but he should quickly finde that it was in his choyce not to doe it Sen. Errat si quis existimat Servitutem in totum hominem descendere saith the Heathen moralist Pars melior ejus exempta est Bondage descends not upon the whole man his better part is still exempted the Bodie may bee obnoxious to the imperiousnesse of a Master but the minde remaineth still as free as Aire and can never bee so pent up in her earthly prison but ever and anon shee will be breaking forth as farre as heaven The Rule which man hath over man is onely temporall and in outward things A Servant must be of the same Trade and Calling that his Master is of but hee is not bound to bee of the same humour or ReligioÌ„ with his Master It is a fault not to give the Master what thou oughtst but it is a greater fault to give him more than thou shouldest Give unto Caesar that which is Caesar's but still reserve for God that which is Gods It is our Saviors own Caution Feare not them which can kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soule feare yee rather him who is able to destroy both soule and body in Hell And thus wee have done with the Precept and are now to fall upon the direction for the Practise and first of the Negative part thereof wherein two faults commonly incident to servants are absolutely prohibited 1. They must not bee Eye-servers Eye-service is said to bee that which is done onely in the presence of â—he Master and with no better intent than to please him for the time that hee looketh on For his backe shall bee no sooner turned but such a servants labour will bee at an end Luk. 12.54 Our Saviour himselfe gives us his true Character Hee sees his master deferres his comming and begins therefore to tyrannize over his Fellowes and gives himselfe to rioting and drunkennesse consuming in those and other such desbauched courses his Masters substance And amongst the Heathen most were of this nature It was wittily and fitly therefore answered both of the Persian and African The one being demanded what Provender would best fatten up a horse replyed The masters eye The other what dung would most enrich the Field made answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The steps of the Owner His continuall walking about to oversee what was done unto them himself The Apostle would have this fault to bee farre removed from Christian servants His Exhortation therefore is Servants hee obedient to your Mâ—sters in all things but not with Eye-service Nor as Men-pleasers And this mâ—y seeme to bee the Fountaine from whence issueth the former faultinesse Now hee may bee said to 〈◊〉 a Man-pleasâ—r that applies his best endeavours more to please man than God A fault frequent enough in these later dayes and which in many places hath shaken the foundations both of Church and Common-weale Wee are all of us Habent hoc in se naturale blanditiae etiam cum rejiciuntur â—lacent saepè exclusae novissimè recipiuntur Sen. qu. nat lib. 4. cap. 1. high and low naturally inclined to covet praise and from what mouth so ever it proceeds wee give it a chearefull entertainment notwithstanding our owne Conscience whispers inwardly unto us that it is not any way deserved Croesus King of Lydia drove Solon out of his Kingdome because he could not flatter him Dionysius put to death Philoxenus the Poet because hee waâ— so boâ—d as to tell him that thâ— Verses which hee had published were absurd yea some are ambitious of it in a prodigious manner Lucian tels us of a great Lady who being fair Dialo pro Imag. comely but of a low stature a certain Poet having composed Verses in commendation of her among other beauties extold her for her talnesse comparing her for height and streightnesse to the Poplar and finding by her gesture that she so gloried in this as if shee had felt her selfe really shot up to a longer measure hee tooke all occasions to sing them in her hearing till at length one of the Assistants said unto him in his eare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My friend give over that thou move not the woman to rise up from her seate and so betray the falshood of thy Encomiums The like but more ridiculous is reported of Stratonico the Wife of Seleucus who being bald and having scarce so many haires upon her head as one whom Martial mentions in his Epigrammes Lib. 3. ep 51. imployed a comâ—any of Poets to commend her Tresses with promise of a Talent to him that should doe it best Yea there are some that affect it in their Pictures and will enjoyne the Artist when their eyes are naturally grey to make them blacke when their Nose is long to make it short and so to alter or add whatsoever other perfection themselves doe most approve and desire should be in them not remembring that in so doing they cause their fancy to bee drawne and not their feature Now this inbred propension in every one to heare and beleeve whatsoever may bee any way advantagious to his glory is that which drawes so many Sycophants about the Eares of Greatnesse who make hâ—r proud of what shee neiâ—her is noâ— hath noâ— caring so they may raise themselves to ruine those on whom they most rely But hee that is truely wise will â—â—refully avoid them Gulâ—dâ—us Pâ—risiâ—â—sis termes thâ—m Sacerdotes Diaboli The Devils Priests and Salomon saith their discourse is Panis mendacii Pro. 20.17 The Bread of Lies Rehoboam was fed with it by his Courtiers Ahab by his Priests They found it sweet at the first but in the end it proved Gravell in their mouth and was an occasion of ruin unto both A famous Statuarie came to Alexander the Great Lucian dial pro imaginib and offered to transforme the high Hill Atho wholly
said yet nescivit uxorem that he did not respect his wife So that the wife is to be preferred before all The Hebrewes alledge for it a fourfold reason 1. Shee is nearer to him than a child to his Father For shee is actually Bone of his Bones and flesh of his flesh whereas the child is properly neither but in possibility 2. Children are but the fruit of the Loynes and the wombe she is the Rib next the Heart 3. The liker any thing is the more it is loved Man loves his Child tanquam aliquid sui his wife tanquam se And indeed Man and Wife are like those two Branches in the hand of the Prophet so closed together into one Barke Ez. 37.17 that they grow to be one tree and beare both but one fruit So therefore ought men to love their Wives saith the Apostle Eph. 5.28 as their owne bodies He that loveth his wife loveth himselfe 4. Adam say the Iewes was a husband before hee was a father and for these Reasons the Wife is more to be loved than the Child But they speake best who say this Bond is supernaturall and like a miracle For it is a hard matter to part from our parents Ruth 1.16 Rebecca yet leaves all to goe with Isaac and Zipporah though a Midianite did the like for Moses There is a threefold Glue by which Man and Wife are joyned and combined together The one is naturall the other civill but the third divine By the first man cleaveth to his wife as a living creature By the second as a man By the third as a Christian man The naturall marriage is for issue onely the civill as that of the Heathen for strength and helpe in houshold affaires but the Glue which conjoyneth Christians is Vertue and the Feare of God Men by nature like Beasts couple to haue children Civill marriages are true but not perfect Veniunt à dote sagittae T is the great Dowry proves the golden dart or if not so facias non uxor amatur Onely the Feature and not the Creature is beloved Tres rugâ—e subeant se cutis arida laxet Fiant obscuri dentes oculique minores Collige sarcinulas dicet Let him but spie one wrinckle in her brow And he all love shall straightway disavow Let her skin writhle let her eye-sight faile Her Teeth wax yellow or her cheekes looke pale Packe huswife hence this honest man shall say Trusse up thy fardle and use no delay All affection is presently unglued but the marriage of Christians is every way compleat For first It is pleasantly good in regard of issue Secondly profitably good in respect of supply But last of all and which is best of all 3. It is honestly good because it aims at a holy seed ReasoÌ„ hath no hand in it farther than it is sanctified by religion and where this Soder is no fire can dissolve it It is an Axiome among the French Que la femme faict ou des faict la maison That the woman usually is either the marrer or maker of the house A man had need therefore to bee very wary that the setling of his affections may never prove a disparagement to his judgement which cannot but happen when hee shall looke upon the Object with other Spectacles than God allowes of Charles VI. of France being desirous when hee was but sixteene yeares of age to entertaine a Consort into his royall Bed advised with his Vncle the D. of Anion who led with politike respects married him to Isabella daughter of the D. of Bavaria that he might bee the better able to make head against the Emperour Wenceslius who notwithstanding outward shewes did looke upon his estate with no friendly eye And it was a match which in the judgmeÌ„t of men promised a great deale of good both to the king and kingdome But marke how the Divine Iustice crosseth the designes of those that relie more upon their owne wisedome than upon his Will This hopefull Lady in a little time expressed such an imperious and tumultuous disposition that she became a burden unto both having exposed them to so many forraigne broyles and home-bred partialities that if her selfe had not dyed in a happy time for the Kingdome it must of necessity have expired as did the King He therefore that would love his wife must be carefull in his choice and not either Arâ—thmetick or Geometry Portion or Proportion or any other the like syde-respects to be Agents in the businesse Hee must looke more to her Manners than her meanes and wish her Faithfull rather than Faire Men marry not in love but when they marry in the Lord. Beauty is a good outside and Vertue is more to bee esteemed when it is so set out than when we see it in an ill-favoured creature like a pearle in a dunghill Rachel was preferred even for this by holy Iacob before the bleare-ey'd Leah Tertullian cals it Foelicitatem corporis The happinesse of the body Divinae plasticae accessionem A flourish set upon Gods owne worke Animae vestem urbanam A comely garment for the Soule But without Grace it cannot be counted gracefull Shee that hath only this ornament is at the best but a painted Sepulchre Sepulchrum quasi Semi-pulchrum faire without but full of rottennesse within Woman was made when Adam was a sleepe to shew that in matter of wiving we should bee consopitis sensibus content to have our senses Charmed and not be led herein by any outward Attractives Pro. 19.14 A good wife commeth from the Lord and therefore all sinister affections being lulled a sleepe he should beg her at the hands of GOD onely But say a man have erred in his choice his Folly must not free him from this duty Every Adam must love his Eve 1. In regard of her efficiâ—nt cause which was the Lord himselfe who made her with a great deale of solemnity for the honour and dignity of man and were it not for her society what would hee bee but a companion for the Hedgehogge and the Owle The glory and the grace which dâ—rived upon him from her is most elegantly expressed by divine Du Bartas in the sixt day of the week where hee saith that without her l'homme ça bas n'est homme qu' à demi Ce n'est qu'un Loup-garou du soleil enemi Qu'un animal sauvage ombrageux solitaire Bigarre frenetique a qui rien ne pent plaire Que le seul desplaisir nè pour soy seulement Privè de coeur d'esprit d'amour de sentiment I will not prejudice our worthy Silvester so much as to translate them my selfe but will give you his 2. Hee must love her in respect of the Matter whereof shee is composed Shee was made of a Bone which is a most inward part of the Body and shewes that the love betwixt man and wife must not be superficiall but entire and inward When the Hebrewes would say I my selfe they expresse it by a
Sunt verba voces quibus hos lenire dolores Possis magnam morbi deponere partem Here shalt thou meet with such Receipts as will not onely mortifie thy dolours but remove thy disease It is that Rolle mentioned by the Prophet Ezec. 3.1 wee must cause our Bellies to eate it and our Bowels must bee filled therewith and loe the Effect which shall follow hereupon The Heart shall bee rejoyced and from the mouth shall proceed a savour as sweet as any Honey The 3. way by which to cure this Bitternesse is to turne the course of it an other way hee that will needs be froward and perverse let him bee it to his sinnes Alas what glory can it be to insult and domineere over the weaker Vessels These are sturdie and robustious and will deserve the uttermost of thy Choller If thou must needs lowre let it bee upon the Devill if thou must needs chide let it bee with the world worldly vanities in a word if you must needs fight let it bee with the desires and lusts of thine owne Flesh Buffet thy body with S. Paul beate it downe and bring it into subjection Mortifie thy Members which are upon the Earth Fornication Vncleannesse inordinate Affection evill Concupiscence and Covetousnesse which is Idolatrie These are worthy thy Conquest and for thy Bitternesse to them here in this world thou shalt enjoy eternall sweetnesse in the World to come 4. And lastly Whosoever would avoid this Bitternesse he must destroy it in the bloome Sinne creepes like a Canker and it is a naturall course even in evill faith the Schooleman Vt ab imperfecto ad perfectum quis moveatur by degrees to come unto perfection the diseases of the Bodie grow not at once they have their accretions long before their eruptions it is no otherwise w th the Soares and sicknesses of the Soule Verecunda sunt omnia initia peccati saith a Father Sinne is ever bashfull in the beginning Modicum non nocet saith the carnall Libertine a little Pride a little pleasure will not hurt and peradventure the fiery nature will not sticke to affirme that a little choller is an argument of a good spirit but S. Pauls advise is to the contrary 1 Cor. 5.6 Cavete modicum fermenti Beware saith hee of a little Leaven for even a little sowreth the whole lumpe The enemies of the Church enter like little Foxes but once in they take on like roaring Lions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Custom saith the Philosopher ariseth from very small beginnings Many will thinke it nothing to lend the Devill an evill Thought Yet the Wise-man telleth us Wisd 13. that evill Thoughts do separate from God And indeed dum ludunt illudunt while they dally w th us they deceive us like a bemyred dog defile even in fawning As the streames of Iordan carry the fish with pleasure and delight till on a sodaine they fall into mare mortuum The dead Sea where they are presently choaked So many while they suffer themselves to bee led away by a froward Affection are overtaken with froward Actions which doe unexpectedly plunge them into the bosome of destruction An unkinde Thought will quickly bring forth unkinde Words and it will not be long ere these bee followed by unkinde Deeds Destroy therefore the Cockatrice in the shell Husbands love your wives and be not bitter unto them And thus from the Meanes whereby to avoid it I come now to the Reasons for which it is to be avoided The first is drawne from the very Precept by which the Apostle enjoyneth Husbands to love their Wives For it carrieth with it no exception The bleare-eyed Leah must bee loved as well as the beauteous Rachel and Hannah when shee chides as well as when shee cherisheth For when God first imposed this charge upon the man hee knew full well there was no woman without her weaknesses As shee therefore is bound to bee obedient to her husband notwithstanding his many imperfections so is hee to bee kinde and courteous to his wife and whensoever hee slackes this affection towards her upon any light occasion he becomes guiltie of this Bitternesse The second is taken from the example of CHRIST whom the Apostle in sundry places of his writings propounds as a patterne of imitation unto husbands For hee never either hateth or despiseth the Church his Spouse notwithstanding those infinite blemishes and defects which might justly make her distasted and detested of his purer eyes but endevours rather to palliate and disguise them still honouring her person though hee bee displeased with her Faults And thus disposed should the husband alwaies bee towards his Wife No inward defect no outward deformitie should at any time lessen or abate his conjugall affection unlesse it were such as did dissolve break in sunder the nuptiall knot For so long as this stands firme the wife is but one flesh with himselfe And according to the Apostle No man ever hated his owne flesh Eph. 5.29 but nourisheth and cherisheth it even as Christ doth the Church The third is drawne from a free confession of the very Heathen in this case Aristotle even by the light of Nature perceived it was unfit that a husband upon his wives miscarrying should presently seem estranged alienated from her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oecon. Lib. 1 cap. 7. Small offences saith hee though wilfully committed must bee passed over and where ignorance may extenuate those of greater moment it shall suffice by gentle warnings and admonitions to make her more cautious for the future Husbands therefore love your wives and be not bitter unto them Not bitter inwardly in your Affections much lesse outwardly in Words The end of a reproachfull speech is to rejoyce not for any profit acquited by it to our selves but for a disgrace inflicted upon others Now as I shewed before A man cannot scratch his Wives face but the prints of his Nailes will appeare in his owne Some peradventure will breake forth into stormy language and direfull threates and yet not harbor in their brest the least intent to doe an injurie Yet even this Bitternesse must be condemned For if hee that is angry with his Brother unadvisedly and shall vent his choller against him in reviling tearmes Mat. 5.2 shall bee Culpable of Hell-fire what judgement must he expect that shall doe the like unto his wife That this bitternesse therefore may bee utterly banished from the married state let Salomons rule bee still had in remembrance Rejoyce with the Wife of thy youth Pro. 5.18 c. Now as touching the last kinde of Bitternesse which doth usually expresse it selfe in Blowes 1. It is as I have said before against the law of Nâ—ture Vitium uxoris aut tollendum aut ferendum The infirmity of the wife said Varro A. Gel. lib. 1 Cap. 17. is ei her to be tollerâ—ted or amended He that corrects it adds to her grace he that beares
his Master than twice as much in an evill servant 2. The wicked servant doth not onely bring the curse of God upon himselfe and his endevours but upon the whole family wherin he lives So Achan endangered the whole Army Ionas the whole ship in which they were whereas on the contrary for a godly servants sake other in the house have fared the better Such a one is like the Arke of God under the Roofe of Obed-Edom 2 Sam. 6 1â— Hee brings with him a blessing upon his Master and the whole houshold Neither are ungodly servants unprofitable onely to the body but also to the soule infecting all that are about them with the contagion of their corrupt example whereas the other by their good and vertuous lives adorne the Gospell of Christ and cause it to appeare beautifull in the eyes even of profane and irreligious Masters gaining them often times to the love and liking thereof even as the beleeving wife doth the unbeleeving husband Masters therefore must either chuse such servants as are religiâ—us or seeke to maâ—e them such when hee hath chosen them But what shall Masters doe that their servants may bee such 1. They must cause them to pray and reade the Scriptures in their private houses 2. They must bring them to the publike hearing of them in the Church 3. They should be a light and a Lanthorne to them themselves Pessima defluxio quae provenit à capite A sicke head distempers all the other parts and a darke eye makes a darke body 4. And lastly they must restraine them from profane company and allow them libertie at convenient times to converse with such as feare God While Saul was amongst the Prophets himselfe did likewise prophecie Let it be a fragrant flower or a stinking weed which we handle our Fingers will bee sure to retaine the smell Iudas was honest while hee conversed with Christ 't was after hee had conferred with the Priests and Elders that out of a greedy desire of the wages of unrighteousnesse hee plotted the death of his innocent and harmlesse Master And thus much concerning the second thing required to the fashioning of a Servants obedience to the true modell it is the feare of God I come now to the third Whatsoever they doe they must doe it heartily And here we will 1. Consider the Duty 2. The Inducement thereunto As concerning the Duty Whatsoever they doe they must doe it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a heart and a soule The word implies two things 1. That they should doe what their Masters enjoyne them chearefully and as it were for their life without any murmuring or repining And it is very likely that some Christian servants in the time of the Apostles obeied their masters more for the necessity of their condition than any willingnesse they had unto it S. Paul therefore seekes to cure this evill when hee commands them to doe whatsoever they doe freely from their heart and without any enforcement Now then may wee bee said to doe a thing with our heart when the heart not onely desires to doe it but withall rejoyceth and is much delighted in the doing of it On the contrary when the heart holds off and is a verse and refractary though the outward work be done it is done yet onely by the hand and not with the heart For as Prosper well Si quid invitus feceris fit de te magis quà m facis If wee doe any thing unwillingly it may rightly be said to be done by us but it cannot be said to be done of us and in this our master hath no more from us than hee hath from his Asse or from his Oxe a meere extorted labour and what reward can wee expect for this Animus est qui parva extollit sordida illustrat magna in pretio habita dehonestat It is onely the condition of the minde saith the Morallist which gives the forme to ever thing and makes it either respected or disrespected both of God and man It was the heartinesse of the poore Widdow in the Gospell which made her two Mites be so applauded by our Saviour when the large offerings of the Pharisees were not a jot regarded The Souldier that brought a little water in his Helmet to his Soveraigne was more regarded of him than the greatest of those Peeres that courted him with costly presents It is in service as it is in sacrifice if the heart be wanting it can never be acceptable 2. In that hee saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee sheweth that servants should not onely expresse life in their actions â—ut likewise Love in their Affections and no lesse approve of the Commander than they doe of his commands And indeed these are things for the most part combined one to the other For no maÌ„ can go chearefully about a businesse unlesse hee love and respect the person that enjoyneth it And therefore in Eph. 6.7 It is expresly set downe that they should serve 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with good will And indeed according to S. Ambrose Nemo melius obtemperat quà m qui ex charitate obsequitur None serve like those that serve because they love And thus much concerning the Duty the Inducement followes As to the Lord and not to men that is as they who rather and more principally serve the Lord than men even in the peformance of those offices which are exhibited unto men For though the use and benefit of the worke bee to redound to man the minde of the worker yet is to look specially unto God And here wee must note that the Negative particle doth not inferre it an unlawfull thing to serve men or in serving to regard them It only shews that in the performance of all Duties wee should not look so much to our earthly Lord as to Christ our heavenly Lord. It is a knowne rule in the exposition of holy Writ In comparationibus saepe negari illud quod non est excludendum sed tantum alteri postponendum that in comparisons a thing many times is denyed which must not yet bee utterly excluded but onely postposed to another as in Marke 9.37 Whosoever receiveth me saith our Saviour Christ receiveth not mee but him that sent me .i. hee receiveth the Father that sends more than me that am sent for hee receiveth mee for his sake And so in this place Whatsoever ye doe doe it heartily as to the Lord and not to meâ— .i. to Christ your Lord rather than to meÌ„ because it is for his sake that ye serve them And indeed there is great reason why even in vile and externall duties they should bee said rather to obey God than men though they doe them wholly at their command and onely for their profit For first they which obey are Christs by right more than their earthly Lords They bought them to be their servants with gold and Silver but Christ bought them to be his with no lâ—sse price than with the effusion of
his owne most precious blood they redeemed oneâ—y the body that no farther than out of one servitude into another but Christ hath ransomed both soule and body into a glorious liberty that shall last for ever and therfore Christ is to bee served before them 2. Our earthly Masters are to bee obeyed no otherwise than Christ prescribes they are to him as a steward to a Noble man hee hath the command of all the inferiour Servants but if he command any thing that is contrary to the will of the Lord they are to suspend their obedience 3. Christ himselfe hath declared it to bee his will and pleasure that Servants should obey their Masters and in his wisedome and power he hath ordeyned some for soveraignty and some for subjection All which considered Christian servants may be rightly said even in the performance of any office to their Master to serve the Lord and not men And it is a great motive to doe whatsoever wee doe heartily considering that the eye of Christ can scrue it selfe into our inmost retreates and that in every Action hee more regards the heart than the hand The defects of men towards men in their observance arise from a want of feare and reverence toward God We have it from the mouth of a Heathen That he who behaves himselfe impiously and perfidiously towards him can never bee Single-hearted towards Man In all the works therefore of our vocation wee must studie rather to keepe a good Conscience than to gaine the applause of men For how laudible so ever our outward Obedience may seeme it is but hypocriticall and adulterate if referred to an ill end A Christian servant must not think it enough to please his earthly Lord unlesse withal hee please Christ who is his heavenly one To conclude this is the manner of Christian obedience that every faithfull man should so doe the workes of his Calling as if there were none in the world besides God and himselfe For then hee will not dare to doe those offices for men which he knowes are hatefull unto him but will shew himselfe so farre serviceable to the one as that he may bee truely serviceable to the other And thus much concerning the Precept imposed upon servants as likewise of the Obedience required at their hands Now follow the Inducements which must stirre them up to the tender of this Obedience these are drawne from those things which usually make the greatest impression in the mindes of men Reward and Punishment In handling of the former we will consider 1. The qualitie of the Reward proposed It is a Reward of inheritance 2. The Person from whom it is to bee expected and that is the Lord Yee shall receive from the Lord. 3. The certainty of receiving it Yee know that hee shall receive 4. And lastly the Reason of this certainty For Yee serve the Lord Christ As touching the quality of the Reward It is the Reward of Inheritance But in this may some say lyes a contradiction For a Reward is commonly that which wee give unto servants an inheritance which wee bequeath to sonnes Whereunto I answere that the Apostle speakes not of any temporall Reward which might in worth bee correspondent to their labour but of that eternall beatitude which God conferreth upon his Saints and which farre surmounteth the worth and excellency of all humane obsequiousnesse whatsoever and he cals it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Retribution not that men are able any way to interest themselves therein by the dignity of their workes but because in regard of some circumstances it obtaines the similitude of a recompence For first as Wages are not given but to them that worke no more is the Kingdome of heaven conferred on any that are idle They that would have it must not lie snoring in the lappe of worldly pleasure but diligently labour in the workes of their Vocation 2. As wages are not given till our worke be ended no more is life eternall till our course be finished after the Race the runner must looke for his reward 2 Tim. 4.8 and after the combate the Souldier expect his Crowne Now as this heavenly reward is for two respects in which it resembleth wages entituled by the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Retribution so for two other respects in which it differeth from wages it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An Inheritance For 1. Wages are given as a due to him that worketh but this heavenly reward proceedeth wholly from the grace and liberality of him that doth conferre it For when we have done all that is commanded us wee are yet unprofitable servants â—ukâ— 17 10 and what have wee done which was not our duty to doe We are all of us Filii divini beneficii The Children of divine kindnesse as S. Augustine termes us by grace saved through faith and that not of our selves it is the gift of God 2. Wages have usually a proportion with the worke for which they are paid but this heavenly reward hath no proportion with our services For what proportion can there be betwixt that which is finite and that which is infinite It is called therefore an Inheritance to exclude it wholly from being a Desart For Children come not to inherite their Fathers lands by vertue of any merit because most an end the land is purchased before the Childe is borne much lesse can we by any such title lay claime to heaven who can not pretend so much as this that wee came out of the Loynes of our Coelestiall Father For wee are his Children onely by grace not by any priviledge of Nature So speaks the Apostle Ye have received the spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 by which ye cry Abba Father Now Adoption admits no Merit For if Civilians define it rightly Adoptio est gratuita assumptio personae non habentis jus in haereditate ad participationem haereditatis Adoption is the free assumption of a person that hath no right in the inheritance to a full participation of the same The right which wee have to eternall life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Hesychius speakes is not a guerdon but a gift We have it Propter promissum according to S. Gregory yet not propter commissum It is not factuâ— but pactum saith S. Aug. the Mercy of the Giver not the Merit of the Worker which deriveth it upon us The possession of this life yet is as the Apostle termes it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Reward or Retribution And the Lord so stileth it not to puffe us up thereby with any vaine conceit of our own sufficiency but only to cheare and hearten up with some kinde of solace the debility of our Nature And therefore when the Scripture saith that God the righteous Iudge will one day render the Crowne of righteousnesse to those that are his 1. I except with S. Augustine where should this righteous Iudge bestow his glory but where the mercy of a loving
Apostle propounds a Retribution whereof hee would not have them doubt but with a setled assurance expect it from the Lord. Servants saith hee obey your Masters in all things knowing that yee shall receive from c. And shall the base secular workes of poore and miserable servāts then be thus rewarded why this must animate and encourage us not to grow weary of well doing but to goe on in all holy religious courses For surely the great works of piety in Gods service shal bee more highly rewarded Againe shall the workes of servants bee rewarded Here is matter then of comfort for them and matter of reproofe for those who being the children of God are many times yet so overborne by unbeliefe that they distrust the acceptation of their prayers and good indeavours For God will have them know that they shall receive from him a Reward of Inheritance than which nothing is surer a mans owne And thus much of the third point The certainty of receiving that which Christ hath promised I come now to the fourth and last and that is the Reason whereupon this certainty is grounded For yee serve the Lord Christ Wages and Workes are Relatives And therefore Equity requireth that from him a Reward should bee expected to whom our labour is exhibited But how may some say Can it bee deemed a credible and likely thing that they which undergoe base offices for men here upon earth should bee said herein to serve Christ who is now all glorious and hath his residence in the highest heavens where he hath the ful ministerie of Angels and needeth not at all the obsequiousnesse of Man The answer is at hand and hath already beene declared viz. that whatsoever services are done to men at the command of Christ and for the glory of Christ are held as done to Christ himselfe For as S. Hierome rightly upon this place saith Servit DEO qui propter Deum servit homini Hee may bee truely said to serve God that serveth man for Gods sake Yea Christ verifies it himselfe when hee saith Mat. 25.40 et v. ult In as much as ye did it to one of the least of these my brethren ye did it to mee And againe In as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not unto me This is there spoken only of works of charity as men either doe them or deny them one to the other but it may bee extended to all such Workes of Obedience as are prescribed and enjoyned us by GOD. For when wee doe them unto men wee doe them unto him that commanded them to bee done and when wee deny them unto them hee counts them as denyed unto himselfe and not without just cause For hee who being commanded by God to obey Men shall refuse to submit himselfe to humane authority would if he were able exempt himselfe withall from that which is divine When the Israelites therfore wold no lōger endure the rule of Samuel but would have a King to raigne over them 1 Sam. 7.7 They have not saith God cast thee away but they have cast mee away that I should not raigne over them Now from hence we may learne 1. That there is no servitude or Bondage which is not honourable if men demesne themselves therein honestly and faithfully For they which are such are servants unto Christ and to retaine to him is the very noone-point of all dignity 2. That there is no rule or principality that can vindicate a wicked man from shame and from disgrace For such are servants to the Devill which is the very depth of misery and dishonour And thus much concerning the first inducement by which the Apostle would stirre up servants to Obedience The promise of Reward I come now to the second A threatning of Punishment But hee that doth wrong shal receive for the wrong which he hath done and there is no respect of persons Out of this wee will observe 1. A Commination denounced against all that shall prove defective in their duty 2. An Anticipation of a secret Objection which might seeme to weaken infringe the certainety of this punishment in these words Neither is there respect of persons As touching the first Some take it as denounced against tyrannous and unjust Masters to the comfort of the servant that is so oppressed For it is no other than if hee should have said Though Masters be wicked and cruell doe not yee yet suspend your Obedience but performe that which is your dutie and leave the revenge to God For at his hands they shall receive what ever wrong they doe Now wicked and imperious Masters may many wayes prove injurious to their servants 1. By defrauding them of necessary food and raiment 2. By denying them their due wages 3. By urging them to labours that are above he strength of their Body 4. By wounding their very soules with virulent reproaches 5. By bruising and breaking even their Bones with undeserved strokes All which calamities in a manner hapned to the people of God during their servitude in Aegypt That servants therefore may not through impatience rise up against their Lords or through discouragement neglect the offices which are imposed upon them the Apostle tells them that whosoever he bee that shall thus oppresse thē He shall receive the wrōg that he hath done .i. He shal perceive and feele the vengeance of the highest proportioning his punishment according to his injustice A proofe of this wee have upon the Aegyptians whom God afflicted with farre greater plagues than they were able to afflict his Israelites As likewise upon Saul 2 Sam. 21.9 who was punished in his posteritie for the Gibeonites whom hee had slaine thinking to gratifie thereby the people because they were not of the seed of Abraham Other Interpreters referre it unto servants themselves as if the Apostle should have said If the hope of a Celestiall reward cannot draw you to your duty let the feare yet of a grievous punishment drive you therunto Bee not injurious to your Masters either out of stubbornnesse or sloth For GOD the righteous Iudge will with severity exact the forfeiture of your improbitie and of this we have an example in Gehezi 2 King 5.26 But with Saint Hierome I thinke that both interpretations are to be conjoyned 1. Because the Apostle speakes generally to all 2. Because this Commination is inserted betwixt the duties of servants and Masters that so it might seeme equally to appertaine to both So that this I take to bee the meaning of the Apostle He that doth wrong whether it be the Master in misusing of his servant or the servant in defrauding and despising of his Master either shall receive from God the wrong that hee hath done We must learne from hence then 1. That every sinne shall meete with punishment from God though peradventure it may scape the severity of men and what will it availe us to have avoyded their hands
resolution at the first fully to ponde and examine every word of his that from them I might derive the greater weight unto mine owne In handling therefore of the two first combinations I followed his concisenesse and here where hee tooke a larger field I was forced to doe the like But why may some demand was hee so briefe in those and did so much enlarge himselfe in this I answer the reason may bee threefold 1. Because the property of Pagan servants was to cozen and defraud their Masters and in their absence like so many traitors as Cato termed them feloniously to curse and speake evill both of their persons and proceedings Witnesse that speech of one in the Comedie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He thought him selfe overjoy'd whâ—n hee could get but any opportunity to raile in secret upon his Master and howsoever they to whom he theÌ„ spake were converted to Christianitie it was but newly yet and any little discontentment offered them by their Masters might have made them with the dâ—g retuâ—ne to their vomit for the prevention whereof hee seekes by strong enforcements to tie them to their dutie A second reason may bee to expresse the riches of Gods mercy who despiseth not the very slave that is despised of all but seeks to make even him a lively stone for the building up of his most glorious Hierusalem and because husbands are willing to enforme their Wives parents carefull to teach their Children whereas Masters utterly neglâ—ct their Servants God to supply the defect doth here afford them a large Volume of instructions The third reason is for the comfort of servants who by this pressing of their duty may well resolve themselves of Gods affection The lover never thinkes his minde sufficiently vented and is therefore still courting the Object of his love And so it is here with God hee doth dilate himselfe in drawing them to shew that he doth much desire them A fourth and last reason may bee the intimation of his owne humanity The Physitian when hee meets with a needy Patient tels him in briefe that Kitchin physick must bee his onely remedy And so the Lawyer when hee lights upon a Thred-bare Client to shake him off the sooner makes him beleeve his cause will not bee worth the triall S. Paul teacheth them charity venting his counsell and advise more freely more fully in the behalfe of those whose inheritance in this world was nothing but the extremitie of misery than hee had done for theÌ„ that were of better qualitie as if the saving of one of those had beene a thing more meritorious than the other And thus having apologized for my tediousnesse in this point I leave the servant and come to the Master The Ground of the second Booke of the third TOME Masters give unto your servants that which is iust and equall knowing that yee also have a Master in Heaven TOM III. LIB II. THis VERSE which is made the first of the fourth Chapter I cannot liken better than to a Tree that by the violence of some earth-quake is removed out of one mans ground into an others For it should bee the period of the former and so not onely the matter of it which is oeconomicall and the fame with that in the eight Verses immediately going before but that likewise of the Verse following which is of a differing straine doth plainly shew it Chrysostome therefore Aquinas Hugo Illyricus Musculus Zanchius c. dispose of it no otherwise and we subscribing to their opinion will assume it as a part and parcell of the precedent thus then it divideth it self into two branches In the former hee shewes how Masters are to carry themselves towards their servants Yee Masters saith he do unto your servants that which is iust and equal In the latter he alleageth a Motive to induce them thereunto Knowing that yee also have a Master in heaven As touching the first In that he doth apply himselfe now to masters wee are taught that every true dispenser of Gods Word should not onely bend his endeavours to the fashioning of servants those of Inferiour ranke but should also instruct exhort and edifie Masters and Magistrates together with all those that have submitted their neckes to the yoke of Christ Againe howsoever it bee usuall with Superiours and that not without just cause to complaine of the faults of their inferiours themselves yet are seldome free from taint and from corruption The Apostle therfore would have neither Masters nor servants to upbraid each other with their imperfectioÌ„s but every one to ameÌ„d his own 2. Concerning the persons in whose behalfe this duty is here prescribed servants They may observe to their endlesse comfort the great sollicitude and care which God hath of their well-fare Hee respecteth both their soules and bodies For touching their soules No Monâ—rch hath a greater interest in the Kingdome of heaven than they if in Singlenesse of Heart they discharge those duties which hee in his diviner wisedome thought good to impose upon them As faire a recompence attends the one as the other and therefore the Apostle delivereth it with a kinde of Emphasis Servants bee obedient to your masters knowing that yee also shall receive Againe as if he were enamoured of the one hee seemes to Court their affections with the profer of his choisest Treasure and so to draw them to his Will whereas the other if yee reade and marke the Scriptures are usually driven thereunto by his most grievouâ— plagues and deadliest punishments Esay must tell the King that Tophet is prepared for him of old and it is deepe and large that the burning of it is fire and much wood and the breath of the Lord like a River of brimstone doth kindle it Eliiah must threaten Ahab that the Dogges shall eate him of his Stock that dyeth in the City and him that dyeth in the fields shall the Foules of the aire devoure He cals to the one in storme and tempest but in a soft still voice to the other Boanerges the Sonnes of Thunder are sent to shake the Cedar but Barionah the sonne of Consolation must hearten up the Shrub The state and condition of a servant in the Apostles time was enough to bruise the very heart God therefore seekes not to breake it but to binde it up Servants saith he be obedient to your masters knowing that yee also shall receive Againe to comfort servaÌ„ts in their distresse a little farther as hee shewes himself there tender over their soules so doth he here over their Bodies And because it is an easie thing for any man to abuse the power and authority which he hath over another and that there is not a more pernicious Creature than a tyrannicall and cruell master he limits even their proceedings with his precepts charging them to use those that are under their government with Iustice and Equity Yee masters doe that which is To come then to the duty it selfe it consisteth of two particulars
1. Masters must doe to their servants that which is just 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in this is included whatsoever may be due to servaÌ„ts by any legall Tie or according to the positive Lawes it excludes whatsoever may redound with hurt and prejudice unto them It hath reference then both to their soules and Bodies Masters must doe that which is just to their Servants in regard of their Soules 1. By using all possible meanes to helpe them unto Grace as by training them up in the feare of God by prayer instruction and other both publike and private wayes 2. Having by Gods blessing and his owne industry brought them to some perfection in this kinde to prevent a future relapse they must be very wary to chuse such for their associates in the family as bee just For if it be an injury to bring a Servant into the house that hath either the Plague or some other Contagious Ulcer running upon his body and shall appoint him to worke amongst the rest whereby to endanger also them It must bee an injury beyond compare to bring in a lewd servant that hath the Plague-soare of sinne upon his soule For the infection of such a one is farre more dangerous than the other Now for their Bodies Aristotle propounds three things so necessary for servants that they may bee accounted due 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Worke â—od and Correction To these wee will adde a fourth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and and that is the hyre which is due to our servants who are not slaves like those of former times Now it pertaines to the justice of the Master to see as occasion shall bee offered that all these things bee exhibited unto them in a due measure and it is madnesse in him to doe otherwise For in imposing his taskes if hee tie them as the Aegyptians did the Israelites to more than they are able to undergoe they will soone grow faint and feeble if to lesse sluggish and idle 2. In giving them Food if he detract and withhold that which is needfull and convenient he pines them Againe if he feed them delicately he makes them insolent 3. In using correction if he be too outragious wil punish them beyond the quality of the fault he may kill their bodies Againe if he be too remisse and will suffer them whatsoever they commit to passe uncensured hee destroyes their very soules 4. In the allowance of their wages hee that is too pinching may dishearten them from doing well and againe hee that is too prodigall may the more inable them to doe ill So that in every one of these there is a meane required that Masters may doe unto their servants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That which is iust 1. Then that he may not erre in the first let him know that every man is not a Ioseph to manage himselfe alone the businesse of a whole Family Even Moses when the burden is too great must have a Iethro helpe him to support it Let him therefore put a hand unto the Plough himselfe and as Salomon speakes Pro. 27.23 let him bee diligent to know the state of his owne flocke 2. As touching the second He that pampereth his Horse shall finde him restife when hee would use him so he that travails him and will not feed him shall bee forced for the ending of his journey to make a Hackney of his owne leggs Let him provide therefore a portion and give them their Ordinary in due season 3. To avoid the third Let him winke at slight faults and for such as are grosse and palpable let him punish them as Plato did by Deputie or if he will needs doe it of himselfe let him stay till the violence of his passion be allayed that he may doe it with instruction and moderation and in such a manner as may bee profitable to them and his whole Family 4. And lastly that hee may not prove unjust in the fourth hee must allow them such a competency of wages for their worke that they may not onely bee able to furnish themselves with things necessary for the present but have also some remnant in store for the future It was Iacobs diligence which looked for this and it was Labans duty to afford it Chi ben serve assai dimanda saith the Italian Adage And thus much for the first particular Masters doe that which is iust The second followes And equall to your servants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Originall which signifies Equalitie or Equabilitie But wee are not so to understand it as if masters were bound to exhibite to their servants the like honour and observance that is exacted from them For as Plato wel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Equall things cease to bee equall when wee apply them to those that are unequall This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore doth not denote unto us the workes and offices of servants and Masters which are indeed so differing that they are plainely opposite but it is referred to the minde and manner of working which in a kinde of an analogicall proportion should bee the like in both As for example the proper office of a servant is to obey that of a Master to command Now these in no wise must be changed for they be particular kindes of duties and diversly appropriated but to doe that which we doe in singlenesse of heart and with all alacrity and chearefulnesse as servants unto Christ these are duties equally common unto both And in this look how the Master would have his servants demeane themselves towards him so must he demean himself towards his servant If he wold have them to obey him in sinceritie tâ—e feare of God his care must bee to command them in sincerity and the feare of God if hee would have theÌ„ to serve heartily with good will he must be sure to governe them with a milde fatherly affection So shall he truly render unto them this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Equalitie which is here injoyned Briefly then to epitomize the difference which is betwixt these termes That may bee said here in this place to bee iust which the law requireth or which is due to a servant by any Legall Obligation and on the other side that to be equall which charitie and Christian mildnesse doth exact which is duâ— unto them by a morall obligation Now the speciall workes of this Equalitie in a Master are these 1. To account of his Servant as one made of the same mould and partaker of the same grace with him selfe Not as many doe with a proud and lofty minde so to vilifie and contemne him as if his eye were too good to behold so base an obiect For howsoever Master and servant bee words implying a difference of condition man and man yet are names denoting the same Nature Fortune saith Plato hath distinguished the one from the other but nature is the same in both Eisdem seminibus orti eodem fruuntur coelo
Now this is twofold For first they must know that themselves also have a Mastâ—r Secondly It is no ordinary master but a Master in Heaven As touching the first The onely thing which moveth many to be injurious to their Servants is a high conceit of their owne absolute power They thinke themselves Lords Paramont and altogether free from the checke of any hence is it that often times they break forth into bitter outrages and when a thing is not instantly done according to their minde as if there wâ—re no difference betwixt their Servant and their Dog they care not with what fury they assault him The Apostle therefore to bridle this intemperancy which is nothing but a fruite of our arrogant insulting flesh would have them know and remember that themselves are also Servants under the command of one and the same Lord and so consequently fellow-servants with their servants Now 't is altogether dissonant from reason that a servant though he be of higher ranke and more honourable place should deale unjustly and tyrannically with his fellowes For it is an Axiome with God in the government of his houshold what measure wee mete to others the same shall be meted unto us againe We may see it exemplified in the Gospell He that had ten thousand Talents remitted him Mat. 18.32 and yet was mercilesse in exacting an hundred pence O thou evill servant said the Lord unto him I forgave thee all thy debt because thou prayedst me And oughtest not thou also to have had pity upon thy fellow-servant even as I had pity on thee So the Lord was wroth and delivered him to the Tormentors till hee should pay all that was due unto him It behoveth therefore godly and religious Masters so to thinke of their servants as to know them for more than servants And againe so to conceit of themselves as to know that they are lesse than Masters even fellow-labourers with their Servants in the worke of the Lord. Worldly Greatnesse doth usually forget her owne subordination to a higher power and is by reason of this so puffed up with insolency that in her carriage towards others she heeds nor Iustice nor equality we have it instanced in Pharaoh Moses and Aaron came unto him with a message from the Lord saving Thus saith the Lord God of Israel Let my people go that they may celebrate a feast unto me in the wildernesse And Pharaoh replyed Who is the Lord that I should heare his voice and let Israel goe I know not the Lord neyther will I let Israel goe But what event had this his supercilious pride Did it not bring a miserable ruine and desâ—â—ation upon his whole Kingdome Masters then doe that which is Iust and equall to your Servants knowing that ye also have a Master who can and will exact from you a strict account of your whole carriage and proceedings even towards them For as it followes in the second place He is a Heavenly Master That is one who is Iust omnipotent omniscient and to shut up all in a word God himselfe And this is a speciall consideration whereby to restraine the cruelty of Masters towards their Servants For what is the reason that Masters behave themselves so insolently towards their Servants but because they see them altogether destitute of any power or faculty to withstand their violence and are withall perswaded that there â—s no Iudge that will enlarge himselfe so farre in their behalfe as to take upon him the reparation of their wrongs The Apostle therefore to abolish this conceit will have Masters to know that is assuredly to hold and beleeve that they also have a master and such a one as is not mortall but celestiall and will not suffer them to goe unpunished if in any sort they abuse that authority which by delegation they have received from him over their Servants Being subject to such a master they ought with all holy respect to observe in every thing this Iustice and equality which is here prescribed For first this heavenly master is omniscient and there is no wicked or unjust act can be so closely committed as to lie concealed from his knowledge His eyes are ten thousand times brighter than the Sun and there is nothing in Heaven in Earth or in the deepe which he doth not see yea though it were hid I say not within the Reines and Hearts of our Bodies but in the Reines and Heart of the lowest destruction Omnia coram illo nuda saith the Apostle All things are naked before him T is more than shamelesse impudency therfore in the fight of such a master to entreate our fellowes cruelly and proterviously For even the worst kind of servants will be sure to afford 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that same eye-service which was spoken of before And he of whom we read in the Gospell never went about to molest or afflict the rest of the houshold till hiâ— Master was gone a great journey and farre enough removed from his sight but this heavenly Master hath his eye evermore upon us and therefore wee can at no time safely domineere in an imperious manner and beyond all Iustice and Equalitie over those that are under our government and iurisdiction 2. This heavenly Master is iust and holy and all iniquity whatsoever is exceeding hatefull unto him Earthly masters may peradventure now and then eyther applaud the improbitie of their servants or at least connive at it because themselves are faultie and defective in the like kinde But there is no hope that he who dares vioâ—ate iustice and equity should please his heavenly Master For both the wicked and their wickednesse are hatefull to the Lord. 3. And lastly This Master which wee have in heaven is Omnipotent and able therefore to revenge himselfe on those whom he abhorreth nor can any man rescue or deliver himselfe out of his hands The Children of Israel and the sons of Anak David and Goliah were unequally matched yet was it man to man where if either partie be the weaker it may be redressed in time either by themselvs or their abettors or if never the bodie alone indures the smart the soule is not a whit endangered but this Master is the most mighty Lord whose face is burning and whose eyes are full of indignation hee liveth not upon the earth that can abide his wrathâ—â— For loe â—he foundations of the Mountaines shake and the Hils doe melt away like waxe because of his anger It extends not onely to the killing of the Bodie but to the casting both of soule and body into Hell Behold hee breaketh downe and it cannot bee built he shutteth up a man and he cannot be loosened Woe woe be unto us cryed the uncircumcised Philistims though they were a mighty Army and stood in battell array who shall deliver us out of the hands of these mightie Gods Erring in the number but not in the power of the glorious Deitie Who is able to stand before him cryed the