A Present for Servants, Chapter 3
CHAP. III. The Servants Duty [2.] towards their Maſters.
HE is the good Chriſtian that is good in the place and relation wherein God has ſet him, and that is the Religious Servant, who out of a Principle of love to God, and in obedience to his Command, does perform his duty to them to whom God has ſubjected him.
Your Duty therefore towards your Maſters conſiſts, 1. In the reverend ſubjection of mind, and reſpectful honour that your place requireth. Let as many Servants as are under the Yoke, count their Maſters worthy of all honour, that the name of Chriſt, and his Doctrine, be not blaſphem'd, 1 Tim. 6.1, 2. this command of the Apoſtle is the more remarkable, becauſe it is ſpoken to them that had Infidel Maſters: and if yours be Unbelievers, wicked Perſons, without ſo much as a profeſſion, your Duty is more difficult; it is hard to honour a Fool, or reverence one that you frequently ſee in his Vomit of Drunkenneſs, or venom of Malice and Paſſion. But yet their Authority they have from God, and you muſt reverence the Image of God's Dominion in them, leſt you cauſe the name of Chriſt to be blaſphem'd, and leſt you give occaſion to the wicked Man to reproach Religion, and to ſay, Theſe are your Profeſſours, your Religious Servants, ay, they are all alike. And if ſo be that God has ſubjected you to thoſe that are ſerious and Godly, you muſt honour them the more. So ſaith the ſame Apoſtle, ver. 3. and they that have believing maſters let them not deſpiſe them, becauſe they are Brethren, but rather do them ſervice becauſe they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. Be not you like thoſe inſolent Youths that ſet light by their Maſters, either before their faces or behind their backs. God has not ſet you as Companions with your Maſters, nor does he allow of a ſawcy Carriage in their preſence, nor to talk diſreſpectfully of them, or of their Imperfections in their abſence. The more careful they are to inſtruct, reprove, and reſtrain you from ſin and vanity, the more do you prize them, and bleſs God for them. Be as ready (or more) to be catechized, examined and directed about your Souls, as about any buſineſs that you are employ'd about.
2. Your Duty lies in a Religious faithfulneſs, and conſtant fidelity, in all that you undertake. When you hired your ſelves, you ſold your time and labour to your Maſters, all but what God and nature more immediately requires to be reſerv'd: and beſides the ſin againſt God in idleneſs, you defraud your Maſter, if you idle away an hour, that ſhould be employ'd in his buſineſs. And to delay his Meſſages, put off his work to others; to ſlubber over his work, or leave it half undone, is to rob your Maſter of the Wages that is due for the work, which you ſhould have done accordingly, but did not. This is the Eye-Service, which the Apoſtle condemns, Col. 3.22. when Hypocritically you ſeem earneſt in his work when his Eye is upon you, but loyter away your time when he has turn'd his back. They that are unfaithful in their Maſter's work, will not ('tis to be fear'd) make much Conſcience of defrauding him in his Eſtate. How quickly does the Devil teach an ungodly Servant to make bold with his Maſter's Money, in buying or ſelling, and to excuſe it by the ſecrecy, or ſmalneſs of the matter; till they who made nothing to trample on God's Law for a Peny, came afterwards to Pounds and higher Robberies. And here let me beg of Servants to take heed of Ale-Houſes, Gaming-Houſes, places of Drunkenneſs or Uncleanneſs, of loving Cards and Dice, or ſitting up to unſeaſonable hours at ſuch Vanities: ſuch will need much Money to play away and riot away, and then how ſtrong is the temptation to keep back, or convey away part of the Money, that you ſold the Goods for! if you have any of theſe Devices, know, It is a downright Theft, and if it be but a Peny, you know not where it will ſtop. They that take a little, when the Temptation is ſtrong will venture upon a great deal; and they that rob their Maſter to day, will rob others to morrow. And how ſad and bitter a Caſe muſt this prove, when the beſt that can be hop'd for, is a Confeſſion of your Theft, full of ſorrow and ſhame, and the reſtitution of every farthing, to the utmoſt of your power; without which there can be no Repentance, and ſo no Salvation. And if this be not done, your Thefts in your Service will be like Moths in your Goods, when you come to get ſomething of your own: of your own did I ſay? Yea, till you have made reſtitution, you do not eat your own bread; and 'tis not your giving part of your ill-gotten Money to the poor, that will prevent the horrour of Conſcience at laſt. God hates robbery for burnt-offering. I'll add but one Inſtance more under this Head, which is the Perfidiouſneſs of Servants in any Truſt committed to them. Like the unjuſt Steward, that when there was owing his Maſter an hundred meaſures of wheat, order'd them to take their bill and write fourſcore. And if you ſhould ſay, but did not the Lord commend the unjuſt ſteward? Yes, for his wiſdom, not for his cheating his Maſter. It is a Parable, and we muſt mind the ſcope of it, which is to ſhew us a pattern of foreſight; how we ſhould ſecure a better habitation, when theſe Tabernacles fail, as this wicked Servant look'd about him what ſhould become of him, when his Maſter turn'd him out. Another manner of Servant was Jacob, who had a hard Service in the Summers Heat, and Winters Froſts for twenty Years, yet could ſay, Gen. 30.33. My righteouſneſs ſhall anſwer for me— and if it be ſaid, Did not Jacob play faſt and looſe with his Maſter, in laying the Rods in the watering Troughs? I ſuppoſe not; the effect being not natural, but by a Special Providence, and therefore we find the fact not by his own invention, but by God's appointment in a Dream, Gen. 31.10. who thus gave away what was Laban's to Jacob. But beyond all Examples is that plain Command, Tit. 2.10. — Not purloyning, but ſhewing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
3. Your Duty lies further in a willing Obedience, and conſcientious hearkning to your Maſter's Commands. And tho' you muſt not perform your Service as Men-pleaſers, Col. 3.22. i. e. as meerly ſuch, you muſt pleaſe God chiefly, as the one thing neceſſary, yet in, and under him, the ſame Apoſtle tells you, That your Obedience to your Maſters, lies in doing their pleaſure in all that they ſet you about, Tit. 2.9. Exhort Servants to be obedient to their Maſters, and to pleaſe them well in all things. Indeed we read of a pleaſing Men, that will not ſtand with our being the Servants of Chriſt: You therefore ſtill remember, God is their Maſter and yours. And if your earthly Maſter command any thing contrary to God's Word; as to Lye, or Cheat for his gain, or the like, as you love your Souls, obey God rather than Men. But now as to all lawful things, the Command ſtands good, Col. 3.22. Servants, obey in all things, your Maſters, according to the fleſh— So that if the things be mean or low, and, as you think, below you, you muſt not nicely ſtand upon your Honour, but ſet about your work; yea tho' the Command be harſh and unpleaſant, you muſt bring down your high Stomach, and ſubmit. So you'll read, 1 Pet. 2.18. Servants, be ſubject to your Maſters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but alſo to the froward. If your Maſter be froward, haſty, difficult to be pleaſed, and it may be ready to injure you (this is his ſin, and a very great one) yet you muſt perform your Duty to God and him. But you'll ſay, Is there no Remedy for a poor Servant oppreſs'd by a Churliſh Nabal, no way to avoid his Rigour, and unjuſt Severity? Why Yes, He may for the preſent withdraw himſelf prudently to avoid his Maſter's rage; and tho' in caſe of the utmoſt extremity the Servant may obtain the help of the Magiſtrate againſt an unreaſonable Maſter, yet uſually the Apoſtle's Caution is ſufficient, for the Servants to forbear all muttering returns, which he calls, Tit. 2.9.— not anſwering again. Which is not meant that they muſt refuſe a reſpectful Anſwer to Queſtions, when they are ask'd. That is as great a fault on the other ſide (as the Wiſe Man ſaith) when they underſtand, not to anſwer, Prov. 29.19. But that they ſhould not thwart and contradict, or by rugged and unmannerly words provoke their Maſter's Indignation againſt them. On the contrary, there is required a willing Obedience, called a doing what they do heartily, or from the heart, Col. 3.23. and if in harſh and unpleaſant things you muſt obey, how are they to blame, that refuſe their Maſters Orders, in the moſt gentle and neceſſary things? That will tell their Maſters they were not hir'd to be catechiz'd, or the like. Which is not only an affront to God in the contemning of his Ordinances for your Souls, but a diſobedience to them whom God has ſet over you. For when you become Servants, it is not only in this or that work that ſuits your humour, as if you were to ſet your Conceits and Wills againſt their Commands; but in all lawful things belonging to your place, whereby you may teſtifie your Obedience to them.