A Godly Form of Household Government, Part 6
What duties Maisters and Mistresses owe to their seruants.
THis dutie teacheth them, that The housholder is called Pater Familias, that is, a father of a familie, because he should hauehave a fatherly care ouer his seruants, as if they were his children.they are become in stead of parents vntounto their seruants, which dutie consisteth in foure points.
1. First, that they refraine and keepe their seruants from idlenesse.
2. Secondly, that by diligent instruction and good example, they bring vp their seruants and housholds, in honestie and comely manners, and in all vertue.
3. Thirdly, that they ought to instruct their apprentises and seruants in the knowledge of their occupations and trades, euen as parents would teach their owne children, without all guile, fraud, delaying, or concealing.
4. Lastly, when correction is necessary, that Maisters and Dames ought moderatly to vse their authoritie ouer theirseruants.then they giuegive it them with such discretion, pittie, and desire of their amendment, as louing parents vse to deale with their deare children; remembring alwayes that they hauehave a maister in heauen, before whom they must make an account for their doings. These foure points are in effect poken of before in the dutie of parents.
For so much as maisters and housholders are to their seruants and apprentises in place of fathers, they are hereby admonished, that they Iames 5. 4. Coloss 4. 1. Ioh 13 13. 14. 15.ought not to with-hold and keepe … their due wages, to exact of them, to oppresse them, or to reward their well-doing and good deseruing Deut. 24 14. 15 Mat. 8 5. 6. … 7. 2.slenderly: but to be carefull of their seruants good estate as of their owne, not onelyonly in prouiding for them wholsome meate, drink, and God made eu ry weeke one day of rest, wherein seruants should be as free as their maisters. Gen. 2. 2.lodging, and otherwise to helpe them, comfort them, and relieue and cherish them, as well in … as in health liberally to reward their good deseruings, as farre as Christianity, liberality, and equality shall binde them: but also that they be carefull that they liue honestly, vertuously, and Christianly.
And further, they may not grieue their seruants with too much labour, but alwayes remember As the laborer which worketh but one day is worthy his hire, euen so, much more the … that … eueryday.that they are not beasts, but men: so that they ought quietly to gouerne them, and also quietly to chide them, when they shall neglect their duty, lest they be prouoked with their hard words: remembring that they also hauehave a Lord and maister in heauen, with whom there is no respect of persons, Ephes. 6. 9. And let them bountifully reward the iust and faithfull labour Luke 10. 7.of their seruants, and pay their couenants in a fit and conuenient time, lest being compelled by necessitie they should steale.
Maisters ought not (as tyrants) to vse their seruants as their horses and asses: but to deale As Dauid did limit Ioab that he should not kill Absolon, so God hath bound masters that they should not oppresse their seruants.with them louingly & Christianly, because they are all members of one body, whereof Christ Iesus is the head.
There be some maisters that vse their seruants and apprentises more like beasts then like men and their owne members; for which their so doing, let them assure themselues they must yeeld to God their maister a straight account.2. Sam. 18. 5. Iob 31. 13. 14. 15.
Oh that Christian Maisters and Mistresses would learne, and so practise the example of For a good man (sauh Salemon. Pro. 12. 10.) will be mercifull to his beast & therefore he ought to be m re mercifull to his seruants being his brethren.Iobs good and vpright dealing with his seruants, which was farre from rigor. For he saith, If I did contemne the iudgement of my seruant, and of my maide, when they did contend with me,(that is, when they thought themselues euill intreated by me,) what then shall I do, when God standeth vp? If I had oppressed others, how should I hauehave escaped Gods iudgement? ) And when he shall visit me, what shall I answer? He that hath made me in the wombe, hath he not made him? (which moued him to shew pittie and fauour vpto his seruants, because they were Gods creatures as he was: ) Hath not he alone fashioned vsus in the wombe?
Hereby then may those maisters and dames see their wickednesse, who will not heare their seruants speake, but vponupon a simple surmise and brain-sicknesse, do euill intreate them by cruell stripes, when in truth there is no iust cause.
Maisters and Mistresses ought therefore to vse Reuiling words and vnreasonable …, doth much more hurt to seruants then good.their seruants and apprentises, with mildnesse & equitie, as eueryevery one shall deserue; for they must remember that they hauehave all one God to honor and worship, one Prince to serue, one law to keepe, one land to inhabite, and one death to feare: and therefore they must speake vntounto them as vntounto brethren and sisters, & deale with them …. 16. 17.as with Christians. And let them alwaies remember this, namely, that God will neuer deale mercifully with them, if they make no greater account that their seruants do serue him more carefully then themselues, and sanctifie the Sabbaths.Exod. 20. 10. …, 5. 14.
And therefore that maister is not worthy to be serued, which cannot affoord that his seruants should serue God as well as himselfe. He must giuegive vntounto God that which is Gods, and then he may the better take that which is his owne: for he that careth not for his familie (saith Paule) is 1. Tim. 5. 8.worse then an infidell: because infidels care for their families.
As it is the office of a good housholder to carry the burthen of care, trauell, and labour: so it is the dutie of a wife, to be faithfull in keeping and well ordering of his goods and house, & to see his, her owne, and their childrens best apparell brusht, and handsomely …, to be patient and carefull to see her husband do well, and both their duties is, effectually to giuegive good examples, to be diligent to entertaine peace amongst their familie, and to see all things neat and handsome, and to keepe due order and measure.
For as the Sunne in the firmament giueth light Seruants do rather imitate the works they see their maisters do, then the words which they heare them speake.to all the regions round about him, and by his bright appearing expelleth the darknesse, comforteth and cheareth the world: euen so like wise should housholders labour to banish sinne and corrupt religion out of their dwellings, and to be a lanterne of godly life, to comfort and shine to their whole family, that so they may direct their liues after their good examples, Phil. 2. 15. Math. 5. 19. A maister ought so to behaue himselfe with his seruants, that he be not too familiar with them, which many times breedeth contempt, but he is to admonish them often, and yet he must not discourage them from well doing, nor be too seuere, not too partiall, but must moderate all by discretion.
For like as the Centution, who had many seruants Luke 7. 8.vnderunder his authoritie, had them all at his becke and commandement, most ready to obey him in any thing that he set them about, and this good order and submission he had brought them vntounto, by the reason that his said seruants were deare vntounto him: that is, he made speciall reckoning of them, and was as a father vntounto them: so likewise all maisters are in conscience bound to esteeme and account well of their seruants, and to vse their authoritie that they hauehave ouer them, mildly and Christianly; and then if their seruants do perceiue that they are deare vntounto their maisters, so may the maisters in time worke them like waxe vntounto their owne mind: except they be such as hauehave sold themselues to Ephes. 6. 9.worke wickednesse.
It is very conuenient that a maister of a family should so dispose and order his affaires and businesse, that he depart and absent himselfe from home as little as may be: for it is an old saying and a true: The eye of the maister doth make the horse fat, and the ground fertile: for all things are well and fitly done when the maister is present.
Such housekeepers as hauehave much, and yet spend little, are called niggards: and they that hauehave little, & yet spend much are holden …, spend thrifts, and prodigall wasters: and therefore they ought to liue in such sort, that they be not noted either misers for their keeping, or prodigall for their spending.
The couetous miserable niggard passeth great toyle and trauell in gathering of riches, danger in keeping them, law in defending them, and torment in departing from them: but a wise man is not carefull so much for riches, and how to liue long, as to liue well, and dye well.
Some housholders are so … and sparing, both towards themselues and their neighbours, that although they hauehave much wealth, yet they cannot find in their hearts to take part in any frugall and good measure of those transitory blessings which God in merciemercy hath giuen them: but feed grosly and very niggardly, and cloath themselues very meanely, keeping a beggarly house; so that (as the common Prouerbe is,) a man may as soone breake his necke as his fast with them. So that the state of such a worldling The couetous wan in gaining riches, loseth himselfe.and couetous rich man is most miserable; vponupon whom God hath bountifully bestowed great wealth, and yet he hath not the grace to … his riches well, either to his owne comfort, or the good of his neighbour; but heapeth vp riches (as the Psalmist saith) and cannot tell who Psal. 39. 6.shall gather them.
This sheweth, that it is the plague of God that befalleth vponupon such a miserable couetous worldling, when he hath plentie of all things, and yet wanteth a liberall heart, to employ and vse them rightly.
And therefore the holy Ghost, in the booke of the Preacher, is not content once or twice to find fault, and to checke this as a great vanity and abuse; but to speake of it fiue sundry times. In one place he saith: There is an euill (which I saw vnderunder the Sunne,) and it is much among men: A man to whom God hath giuen riches, and treasure, and honour, and he wanteth nothing for his soule, of all that it desireth: but God giueth him no power to eate thereof: but a strange man shall eate it vp: This is vanitie, and this is an euill sicknesse. Eccles. 2. 24. and. 3. 12. 13. 22. and 5. 17. and 6. 1. 2. and 8. 15.
Such maisters and mistresses as would hauehave their necessary affaires and businesses dispatched That which thou canst do conueniently thy selfe, commit it not to another.well, (and in due time) may not alwayes trust to the doing thereof by their seruants: but they must either see it done, or rather dispatch it themselues, if it be such a thing and businesse as they can and may well do. For such a lowlinesse is alwayes ioyned with the feare of God, that they that are humbled with religion, (though honourable and worshipfull in calling) do not thinke themselues too good to do any good thing.
This vndoubtedly is a thing greatly to be wished for: namely, that all Christians, maisters, Masters ought to make good choyce of their seruants.and housholders, when they go about to hire any seruants, would be no lesse carefull and inquisitiue of their honestie, godly conuersation, and how they hauehave profited in the knowledge of God his religion, then they be to enquire and know what they can do, and what skill and cunning they hauehave in that Art or Science which they prosesse, or else, what qualities they hauehave: and so doing, no doubt they being carefull to hire religious and godly seruants to do their worke and businesses, that which such seruants shall take in hand, the Lord will much better prosper, & giuegive good successe vntounto, then otherwise if they shall hire and entertaine irreligious and prophaue seruants: as may plainly appeare by the examples of Iacob and Ioseph, two Gen. 30 26. 27. &c. and 29. 2. 3. 4. 5 6. 23. 23. Esay. 6. 6.religious and faithfull seruants, whose maisters and their substance were blessed, increased, and multiplied for their sakes.
As house-holders ought to hauehave care ouer It is a rare thing for a maister to bring his seruant to be godly, who is not godly him selfe.the bodies of their seruants: so much more ouer their soules. One compareth the maister of the house to the Seraphin, which came and kindled the Prophets zeale; so he should go from wife to seruants, and from seruants to children, & kindle them in zeale of God, longing to teach and vtter knowledge, as a nurse to empty her breasts.
It is lamentable to thinke, how carelesse all maisters (for the most part) are on this behalfe: not onelyonly such as are prophane and ignorant themselues, but also some that would be counted great professors, and would seeme to hauehave great knowledge; yea, (and with griefe may it be spoken) some Preachers also, who hauing had seruants dwelling with them, 3. or 4. yeares, or more, as they were ignorant in the grounds and principles of Christian religion whē they came first into their seruice, so they went from them as ignorant therein as they came, and all for want of catechising: being a principall duty, which not onelyonly Ministers, but also all Christian maisters in conscience are bound to performe to their families. But of this matter I hauehave sufficiently intreated in my last Edition, of the vse and necessitie of catechising: and therefore I will of purpose here omit to speake of it. Another saith, that a maister in his familie hath all the offices of Christ; for he must rule, and teach, and pray: rule like a king, and teach like a Prophet, and pray like a Priest. To shew how a godly man Reuel. 5. 10.should behaue himselfe in his houshold, when the holy Ghost speaketh of the conuersion of Act. 16. 31. 32 & 18. 8. 1. Cor. 1. 16.any house-keeper, commonly he saith: That the man beleeued and all his houshold. As Peter, being conuerted, must conuert his brethren; so the maister being a protestant and a good Christian, must endeuour by all good meanes, that his seruants may be such.
For therefore God said, that he would not hide his counsell from Abraham, because he would teach his familie. And surely all duty of Ge 18. 17. 18.seruants which is not done of conscience, is but eye seruice, and faileth at most need; as Ziba betraied his maister when he should hauehave defended him. Therefore before Onesimus was conuerted, Phil. 11. 16.Paul said, he was an vnprofitable seruant, but when he was conuerted, he called him more then a seruant: because such a seruant is better then many seruants. Though Laban was wicked himselfe, yet he reioyced that Gen. 29.Iacob his seruant was godly, because God blessed him the better for him. Ioshuah saith, I and Iosua. 24. 15.my houshold will serue the Lord: Shewing that maisters should receiue none into their houses, but whom they can gouerne as Ioshua did: and if any such hauehave crept into their doores, they must put him forth againe: for Dauid saith, I will not Psal. 101. 7.suffer a lyer to stay within my house. He saith, not a swearer, nor a theefe; but a lyer: as if he should say, I will rid him out of doores before he be a swearer and a theefe; for a lyer will grow to a swearer and a theefe, as a dicer groweth to a begger in a night. Therefore it is noted of Cornelius, Act. 10. 2.that he himselfe feared God with all his houshold.
These examples be written for house-holders, as others are for Magistrates and Ministers They must keepe no idle prophane, superstitious, nor disordered … in their house.and souldiers; that no calling might seeke further then the Scriptures for instruction. Wherefore as you are maisters now, and they your seruants, instruct them, and teach them, as if you would shew what maisters your seruants should be hereafter.
Next vntounto seruants labours and instruction, must be considered their corrections. As Paul saith, Fathers, prouoke not your children to wrath: so we may say, Maisters, and mistresses, prouoke Ephcs. 6. 4.not your seruants to wrath: that is, vse such reproofes, and such corrections, that you do not prouoke them, but moue them; that you do not exasperate them, but win them; for reuiling and reprochfull words, and immoderate fiercenesse, doth much more hurt then good. And therefore the Law of God did charge the Magistrate that he should not cause aboue forty stripes to be inflicted vponupon any offender, lest he should seeme despised in his eyes: much lesse then may a maister exceed that number to his seruant.
For while a child, or scholler, or seruant, doth thinke that he is reproued for louelove, or beaten with reason, it makes him thinke of his fault, and is ashamed: but when he seeth that he is rebuked with curses, and beaten with staues, as though he were hated like a dogge, his heart is hardned against the man that correcteth him, and the fault for the which he is corrected; and after he becommeth desperate like an horse, which turneth vponupon the striker: and therefore let maisters know, that God euen then chides them, whensoeuer they fight or chide in such rage. For though there be a fault, yet something must be dissembled and winked at, and some things must be forgiuen, and some punished with a looke: for he which takes the forfeit of eueryevery offence, shall neuer be in any rest, but vexe himselfe more them his seruant.
But aboue all, we thinke that the charitie and tender affection of maisters, and louelove of seruants Masters ought to hauehave a tender care of their seruants in their sicknesse.to their fellowes in their sicknesse, is especially to be vsed and shewed: at which time, the sicke are to be seuerally lodged from the whole, and to be cherished and nourished with more choise and daintie meate.
For the performance and care of this dutie, the Centurion is commended in the Gospell, which dutie very vnchristianly is neglected of Mat. 8. 5. 6. Luk. 7. 1.many maisters.
The maister of the house, should not disdaine, or shew himselfe so scornfull or vnkind as not to visite his sicke seruants. For if bruite beasts reioyce to see their maisters cherish and feede them, as we may daily see in dogges, &c. how much more may we beleeue that men and reasonable creatures, are much delighted and comforted therewith? Whereupon it comes to passe, that good and faithful seruants, liking and affecting their maisters, vnderstand them at a becke, and obey them at a winke of the eye, or bent of the brow, not as a water-spaniel, but as the hand is stirred to obey the mind, so prompt and readie is the dutifull seruant to obey his louing and kind maister.
For as the hand is said to be the instrument of instruments: being it (indeed) that serues to feed, apparell, and keepe cleane the rest of the limmes and parts of the bodie, which are also called instruments: so is the seruant said to be an instrument of instruments, because he keepeth all the instruments of houshold occupied: not onelyonly to liue, but to liue well; wherein he differeth from all other instruments. For where they are things without soule, he is diuinely enriched with a soule: and herein he differeth from the hand, for that the hand is fastened and vnited to the bodie, but he is separate and disioyned from his maister: and he is also different from Artificers: for Artificers are instruments of those things which properly they call workmanship: but the seruant is an instrument of the action, which also is distinguished from workmanship. So that the seruant if you will rightly vnderstand him, is, aliuely and seuerall instrument of action.
It is very meete and conuenient, that the mistrisse or dame, do not make her selfe too familiar with her seruants, or houshold-folkes, The wiues behauiour with seruants.lest they should be too bold, to talke, to ieast, or vnreuerently and vnmannerlie to behaue themselues towards her: and so modestly and wisely to beare her self among her seruants, that they may feare, reuerence, and so stand in awe of her, as the mistresse and mother of the house.
And as it is not comely or beseeming, that the wife should take vponupon her to rule and correct the men-seruants; so likewise, it is not comely The maister must correct his seruants, and the mistris her maidsor meete, that the husband should meddle with the punishing or chastising of the maide-seruants: so that it is most meete and acceptable to the offender, that the maister should correct the men, and the mistris her maides: for a mans nature scorneth and disdaineth to be beaten of a woman, and a maids nature is corrupted with the stripes of a man.
Therefore we reade, that Abraham would not meddle with his maid, but committed her to his wife, and said: Do with her as it pleaseth thee. As if he should say, It belongeth not to me, but to thee. Andthese are the duties which maisters must performe in their life time. All which must be shut vp with setting order for all things at their death, with especiall exhortations and prayers for religion, for vprightnesse in their callings, for peace and order after them, according to the example of Hezekiah, Dauid, of Iacob, and of Ioseph: Esay 38. 1. and Gen. 47. 29. 30. and 40. 29. So that it is the dutie of Christian maisters to hauehave a care, not onelyonly that their families be well and Christianly gouerned while they liue: but also that after their death, louelove, peace, quietnesse, and good order may be continued in their posteritie.