Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 6 · Verse and explication 5
Verse 5. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ:
HE commeth now, in the last place, to the duties of masters and servants; and, first, beginneth with servants. See the reasons why he insisteth so long on their duty, upon Col. 3. 22. Now, servants were of two sorts, some did serve for hire, or as apprentises, Mal. 3.—5—. Others were bond-slaves to their masters, being either taken in war, 2 Chron. 28. 10. or bought with money, Lev. 25. 44. The Apostle speaketh to both those sorts; and, first, giveth a sum of their duty, to wit, obedience to their masters according to the flesh: by which designation of masters, he limiteth their dominion and mastership to the bodies of their servants, to things temporall and of the flesh only, leaving the soul and conscience to God only, who is the alone Lord of conscience, Matth. 23. 8. And the obedience here enjoyned to be given by servants unto those, as it is largely taken, doth consist in a chearfull executing of all their lawfull commands, Matth. 8. 9. even though the thing commanded be laborious, painfull, Luke 17. 7, 8, 9. and rigid, 1 Pet. 2. 18. in a meek and patient bearing of their rebukes, Tit. 2. 9. yea, and corrections also, 1 Pet. 2. 18, 20, 21. and in with-holding their hands from picking, and their tongues from abusing their masters by alledging commissions from them, which they have not, for their own advantage, 2 King. 5. 20, &c. and in abstaining carefully from all contriving and procuring of their masters prejudice for benefiting themselves, or others, Luke 16. 1, 2, &c. Secondly, he giveth some properties of this obedience, as first, it must be with fear and trembling: which property consisteth in a sollicitous and earnest care, and indefatigable diligence in following their masters affairs to his greatest advantage, (Gen. 31. 38, 39.) joyned with reverence flowing from love to their masters person, 1 Tim. 6. 1. and with fear of his displeasure, Mal. 1. -6- and is contrary to pride and lazinesse. See working with fear and trembling taken in this sense, Phil. 2. -12. Secondly, their obedience must be with singlenesse of heart, which is opposed to a double heart, hypocrisie and deceit; and it implyeth that faithfulnesse, which ought to be in servants towards their masters, as minding and intending from their very heart the thriving and successe of their affairs in all things and at all times, Tit. 2. 10. And, thirdly, it must be as unto Christ, whereby he expresseth the manner, motive and rule of their obedience. See upon chap. 5. ver. 22. Doct. 1. Christian liberty, and spirituall freedom from sin, Satan, and Gods wrath, is not inconsistent with civil bondage and subjection. Christ and the Gospel teacheth no man to cast off that yoke, but how they are to carry themselves as becometh Christians under it: for, he speaketh to servants, as servants, enjoyning them civil subjection, though they were now converted and partakers of that spirituall liberty purchased by Christ, Gal. 3. 28. Servants be obedient to your masters. 2. The condition of none is so base or despicable, but free grace in God will stoup so low, as to take notice of them in it, yea, and bestow upon them all those precious blessings purchased by Christ, that so grace may appear to be grace, when it hath compassion on those who are in all respects most unworthy and vile: for, even some of those servants, who for the most part were bond-slaves, and as little esteemed of by their masters, as their very beasts, were converted by the Gospel, and are therefore here spoken unto as converts; Servants be obedient to your masters. 3. Such is the sufficiency of Scripture, that there is no rank, state, nor degree of persons, even from the King to the bond-slave, to whom it doth not serve as a full and perfect rule to direct them how to walk acceptably in their stations: for here is in it a direction even for servants; Servants be obedient unto your masters. 4. The great and main lesson which servants, as servants, ought to learn, and so to learn as to practise, is to be obedient to their masters; and, in a word, faithfully and diligently and according to their masters own lawfull directions to go about their affairs; So that whatever they be otherwise for wisdom, breeding, or profession of piety, yet if they be inlacking in this, either neglecting their businesse, or preferring their own wisdom in carrying of it on to the direction of their masters, they are a reproach to the Gospel, in so far as they make not conscience of that which the Gospel requireth from them most: for, this is it he doth mainly presse upon them; Servants be obedient unto your masters. 5. This duty of obedience belongeth unto all servants towards their masters, So that neither birth, breeding, nor their near relation of kindred unto their masters, do exempt them from it, providing they be servants: for, he speaketh indefinitly unto all servants; Servants be obedient unto your masters. 6. This duty of obedience from servants, is payable to all masters without exception, whether they be good or bad, rich or poor, great or small, no diversity of that kind doth detract from the masters authority, nor ought to lessen the servants obedience: for, he speaketh indefinitly also of masters; Servants be obedient unto your masters. 7. As the power of masters, yea, and all earthly power whatsomever, doth only reach the body, and the outward temporall concernments of inferiors, and cannot reach their conscience, soul or spiritual concernments, except to constrain the outward man unto the obedience of what God hath already prescribed in those; So neither ought superiors to make their will an absolute rule to be followed by their inferiors in all things, nor yet inferiors to give up themselves wholly to follow all their directions with a blind and implicit obedience; for, they are but masters according to the flesh, that is, have power over the bodies of servants only, 8. It is not sufficient to do what is commanded by God in any thing, except we do it in that manner wherein it is commanded: and particularly, servants must not only yeeld obedience to their masters, and do them service; but they must do it in such manner as it ought to be done: and in speciall, their obedience and service must be qualified, as the Apostle hath expressed, even with fear and trembling, singlenesse of heart, &c. See the exposition of this, and the two following verses. 9. A proud heart, evidencing it self in a saucie, malapert, awlesse and carlesse carriage, is most unbeseeming the condition of servants, and highly displeasing to God in them, as being opposit to that property of fear and trembling, which ought to accompany their obedience; Be obedient with fear and trembling 10. Though servants are to stand in awe of their masters displeasure, and even from fear of that to go about their service, Mal. 1. -6-. yet they must not be acted from fear alone, nor think themselves exonered, when so much is done as his displeasure will be eschewed; but, being acted from other motives also, they must make conscience of severall other things in the matter and manner of their service, which the awe and fear of their master would never constrain them unto: for, although the master know not the heart, and consequently the servants need not to trouble themselves about their heart from the fear, or dread of him; yet, they are to obey in singlenesse of heart. 11. A servant can never discharge his duty with that sincerity and tendernesse, which he oweth unto his master, except he have an high esteem of Christ, and in the first plac, become an obedient servant unto Him, that so from love to Christ he may yeeld himself obedient to his master in Christ, and so far as obedience to him doth not crosse that obedience which he oweth to Christ: for, he biddeth them be obedient unto their masters as unto Christ, and so implyeth they must be first obedient unto Christ.