Of Domestical Duties, Treatise 1 · Section 124
§. 124. Of the meaning of the fift verſe.
EPHES. 6. 5.
Seruants be obedient to them that are your Maſters according to the fleſh, with feare and trembling in ſingleneſſe of your heart, as vntounto Chriſt.
THis title (Seruants) is a generall title, which may be applied foreign.to all ſuch as by any outward ciuill bond, or right, Origo vocabuli ſeruorū in Lat. lingua inde creditur ducta, quod hi qui iure belli poſſint occidi à victoribus cùm ſeruabaxtur ſerui fiebant: à ſeruando appellati. Aug. de Ciu. Dei lib. 19. cap. 15. Uide …ud Viu. ibid.owe their ſeruice to another: of what ſex ſoeuer the perſons themſelues be: or of what kinde ſoeuer their ſeruitude is: whether more ſeruile or liberall.
Seruile, as being borne ſeruants, or ſold for ſeruants, or taken in warre, or ranſomed; For of old they were called ſeruants, who being taken in warre, were ſaued from death.
Liberall, as being by voluntary contract made ſeruants, whether at will, as ſome ſeruing-men, iournie men, and labourers; or for a certaine terme of yeeres, as prentiſes, clearkes, and ſuch like. Wherefore whatſoeuer the birth, parentage, eſtate, or former condition of any hauehave beene; being
Seruants they muſt be ſubiect, and doe the dutie of ſeruants: the 4. Obſer.Apoſtles indefinite title (ſeruants) admitteth no exception of any.
The other title (Maſters) hath as large an extent compriſing foreign. What maſters are meant.vnderunder it both ſexes, Maſters and Miſtreſſes: and of theſe all ſorts, great and meane, rich and poore, ſtrong and weake, faithfull and infidels, true profeſſors and profane; ſuperſtitious, idolatrous, hereticall perſons, or the like: ſo as
No condition or diſpoſition of the maſter exempteth a ſeruant 5. Obſeru.from performing dutie to him.
Among other degrees and differences, moſt eſpecially let it be noted that both ſexes, miſtreſſes as well as maſters, are here meant, that ſo the duties which are enioyned to be performed to maſters may anſwerably be performed to miſtreſſes (ſo farre as they are common to both) and that both by maidſeruants, and alſo by men-ſeruants that are vnderunder miſtreſſes. In families miſtreſſes are as ordinary as maſters, and therefore I thought good to giuegive an eſpeciall item of this.
VnderUnder this word (obey) are compriſed all thoſe duties which foreign.ſeruants owe to their maſters: it is the ſame word that was before vſed in the firſt verſe: and it hath as large an extent here being applied to ſeruants, as it had there being applied to children: It ſheweth that
The rule of ſeruants (as ſeruants) is the will of their Maſter.6. Obſeru. foreign.
This clauſe (according to the fleſh) is by ſome referred to the action of obedience, as if it were added by the Apoſtle to ſhew what kinde of obedience ſeruants owe to their maſters, namely a ciuill, corporall obedience in temporall things, oppoſed to that ſpirituall obedience which is due to God alone.
Anſ. Though diſtinction may be made betwixt that ſeruice which is due to God, and that which is due to man, yet this application of this phraſe in this place may giuegive occaſion to ſeruants to thinke that if they performe outward ſeruice to their maſters all is well, they owe no inward feare, or honour, which is an error that the Apoſtle doth here mainly oppoſe againſt.
But becauſe this clauſe (according to the fleſh) is immediatly Why maſters are ſaid to be after the fleſh. Dominis carnalibus. vet. tranſl.ioyned to Maſters, I referre it to the perſons to whom obedience is to be giuen, and ſo take it as a deſcription of them, as if he had ſaid, to fleſhly or bodily Maſters.
The Apoſtle thus deſcribeth maſters for theſe reaſons.
1. For diſtinction: to ſhew he meanes ſuch maſters as are of the ſame mould that ſeruants are: ſo diſtinguiſhing them from God who is a ſpirit: thus doth the Apoſtle diſtinguiſh betwixt fathers of our fleſh, and father of ſpirits.Heb. 12. 9.
2. For preuention: left ſeruants might ſay, our maſters are fleſh and bloud as we are, why then ſhould we be ſubiect to them? To meet with that conceit, the Apoſtle expreſly ſaith that obedience is due to maſters after the fleſh.
3. For mitigation of their ſeruitude: for their maſters being fleſh, they hauehave no power but ouer the bodies of their ſeruants: their ſpirits are free from them: in which reſpect the Apoſtle calleth Chriſtian ſeruants the Lords freemen.1 Cor. 7. 22.
4. For conſolation againſt their preſent condition, which is but for a time, becauſe their maſters are fleſh: whatſoeuer is according to the fleſh is of no long continuance, but hath his date.
5. For direction: to ſhew in what things eſpecially that obedience which properly belongeth to a maſter conſiſteth: namely in ciuill, outward things: for eueryevery one muſt be ſerued according to his nature. As God being ſpirit, muſt in ſpirit be ſerued: ſo man being fleſh muſt in fleſh be ſerued. Now this ſeruice in the fleſh is not oppoſed to ſincere and vpright ſeruice, but to ſpirituall. Thus by conſequence that may be intended, which ſome would hauehave principally to be meant.
Obiect. Maſters may command ſpirituall things, namely to worſhip God, and after ſuch and ſuch a manner.
Anſw. Of his owne head he cannot command ſuch things: there muſt be an higher warrant for the doing of them then the commandement of a man.
A maine point here intended is this, that
Maſters are not to be lightly reſpected becauſe they be after the 7. Obſeru.fleſh: that is, weake, fraile, of ſhort continuance, of the ſame nature that ſeruants are.
Leſt vponupon the forenamed deſcription of maſters, ſeruants Seruants feare of their maſters. foreign.ſhould take to themſelues too much heart, the Apoſtle annexeth this clauſe (with feare and trembling, &c.) which hath relation to the manner of their obedience. No ſlauiſh feare is here meant, as if ſeruants ſhould liue in continuall dread, or tremble at the ſight of their maſters: a ſeruant by the tyrannie of ſome maſter may be brought ſo to doe: but to doe ſo is no Chriſtian dutie: that which the Apoſtle here requireth is a dutie belonging to all Chriſtian ſeruants towards all ſorts of maſters, euen the mildeſt that be. It is therefore an awfull reſpect of the authority of a maſter, and a dutifull reuerence to his perſon which is here required: and it is oppoſed to ſawcineſſe, malepartneſſe, boldneſſe, ſtoutneſſe, anſwering againe, murmuring and muttering againſt their maſters, and other like vices. To ſhew how foule thoſe faults be, and what great reſpect ſeruants ought to beare to their maſters, theſe two words (feare, and trembling) are ioyned together: which in Difference betwixt feare and trembling.effect declare one and the ſame thing: but yet for explication ſake they may be diſtinguiſhed. For *foreign. Verſ. 33.Feare ſignifieth a reuerend reſpect of one: it is that which in the former Chapter was required of wiues: though the thing in generall which is required of wiues and ſeruants is the ſame, yet the particular manner and meaſure of a ſeruants feare is farre different.
*foreign.Trembling is more proper to ſeruants: it is a dread of puniſhment: and it is required of ſeruants, not as if they ſhould doe all things ſimply for feare of puniſhment, but becauſe God hath put a ſtaffe into a maſters hands, ſeruants muſt tremble at that power their maſters hauehave, and feare to prouoke them to ſtrike. To this purpoſe ſaith the Apoſtle to ſubiects in regard of the power which a Magiſtrate hath, be afraid, for Rom. 13. 3, 4.he beareth not the ſword in vaine.
Hence learne that
The authority of a Maſter ought to ſtrike a ſeruants heart with 8. Obſer.dread.
The dread which ſeruants ought to hauehave of their maſters power and authority maketh many to care for no more then to auoid their maſters diſpleaſure: wherefore the Apoſtle addeth a further degree of a ſeruants ſubiection, namely that foreign.it be in ſingleneſſe of heart, that is, honeſt, intire, vpright: for this is oppoſed to hypocriſie, diſſimulation, and fraud: yea of YOVR heart, not anothers: another in the ſimplicity of his heart may thinke you doe a thing better then you doe, by a charitable conſtruction of euerie thing, but if in ſingleneſſe of your owne heart you doe it, it will in truth be as it appeareth to be. So as
All the ſeruices which ſeruants performe to their maſters muſt 9. Obſer.be done in truth and vprightneſſe.
The Apoſtle giues this direction to Chriſtians who hauehave to doe not only with maſters according to the fleſh (who only ſee the outward appearance) but alſo with the maſter of ſpirits 1 Sam. 16. 7. foreign.who looketh on the heart: and therefore alſo he added this clauſe, as vntounto Chriſt: teaching ſeruants thereby that
Seruants in their obedience to their maſters, muſt approue 10. Obſeru.themſelues to Ieſus Chriſt as well as to their maſters after the fleſh.
This phraſe (as vntounto Chriſt) implieth as much as that (in the Lord) whereof we ſpake *§. 96.before.