Of Domestical Duties, Treatise 1 · Section 125
§. 125. Of the meaning of the ſixt verſe.
EPHES. 6. 6.
Not with eie ſeruice, as men-pleaſers, but as the ſeruants of Chriſt, doing the will of God from the heart.
THis and the verſe following are added as a further explication of the laſt clauſe of the former verſe. It ſhould ſeeme that ſeruants, howſoeuer they might in ſome meaſure performe the maine dutie of obedience, yet failed exceedingly in the manner of performing it. Becauſe maſters were but men, maſters according to the fleſh, who neither had power ouer the heart, nor could diſcerne the diſpoſition thereof, ſeruants thought they had well done their dutie, if they had outwardly performed what their maſter required: now to root out this bitter weed, and to reforme this corrupt conceit, the Apoſtle is more large in cleering the point of ſincere and vpright ſeruice: therefore, the more fully to expreſſe his minde and meaning, firſt he layeth downe the vice contrarie to the foreſaid ſincerity (for contraries laid together doe much ſet forth one Oppoſita iuxta ſe poſita magis eluceſcunt.another) and then returneth more diſtinctly to declare the vertue. Whence note
Thoſe points are moſt to be vrged vponupon people, wherein they 11. Obſer.moſt faile.
The vice here noted to be contrarie to ſincere ſeruice is termed foreign.eie-ſeruice. Our Engliſh word doth properly and fitly anſwer the originall, both in the notation, and in the true ſenſe and meaning of it. It implieth a meere outward ſeruice only What eie-ſeruice is.to ſatisfie the eie of man:
| And that is twofold, | Hypocriticall, |
| Paraſiticall. |
Hypocriticall ſeruice is that which is meerely in ſhew: when that is pretended to be done which indeed is not done; as if a ſeruant ſhould come from his maſters worke all in a ſweat, as if he had taken extraordinary paines therein, whereas he hath done nothing at all, but otherwiſe made himſelfe to ſweat, or only made a ſhew of ſweat.
Paraſiticall ſeruice is that which is indeed done, but in preſence of the maſter: ſuch ſeruants are they who will be very diligent and faithfull in doing ſuch things as their maſters ſee, or ſhall come to their notice: but otherwiſe behinde their maſters backe, and in things which they hope ſhall neuer come to his knowledge, they will be as negligent, and vnfaithfull as if they were no ſeruants. Yet to ſatisfie their maſters, and to ſooth them, they will doe any thing though neuer ſo vnlawfull.
From this vice thus diſcouered note, that
God requireth more then that which may ſatisfie mans eie. 11. Obſer.Gods eie is a piercing eie, and can ſee much foulneſſe, where to mans eie all things ſeeme very faire: ſo as they much deceiue themſelues who thinke all is well becauſe no man can ſay to them, blacke is thine eie.
Thoſe that content themſelues with doing eie-ſeruice the Men pleaſers. foreignApoſtle here termeth men-pleaſers: which title he giueth vntounto them for two eſpeciall reaſons.
1. To ſhew the ground of eie-ſeruice: which is becauſe all their care is to pleaſe their maſter, who is a man: for well they know that man can ſee but the outward ſhew, or that which is done before his face.
2. To ſhew the hainouſneſſe of that ſinne: for it is tainted with Atheiſme, in that the man guilty thereof hath no reſpect to God: but preferreth his maſter before God: he careth not to pleaſe God ſo he pleaſe his maſter: for this is the emphaſis of that word (men-pleaſers) It is ſpoken in oppoſition to God, as the Apoſtle implieth in another place, ſaying, If I yet pleaſed Gal. 1. 10.men, I ſhould not be the ſeruant of Chriſt.
Obiect. How can it be ſo hainous a ſinne to be men-pleaſers, Tit. 2. 9.when the Apoſtle aduiſeth ſeruants to pleaſe their maſters in all things?
1. Anſw. The aduice there giuen is not ſimply to pleaſe, but to *foreign.pleaſe well, as the originall word properly ſignifieth, and the Kings tranſlators hauehave fitly turned it.
2. Anſw. That generall particle (all things) muſt be reſtrained How maſters are to be pleaſed in all things.to the duties of a ſeruant, and to all the parts of obedience, which he there mentioneth in the words immediatly going before. Seruants therefore muſt pleaſe their maſters in all things that their maſters hauehave power to require at their hands, and they are bound to doe. Men-pleaſing, here ſpoken of, is oppoſed to pleaſing of God. Pleaſing of men there mentioned is ſubordinate to our pleaſing of God: here to pleaſe men is to ſooth them vp in euerie thing good or euill: there to pleaſe them is conſcionably to obey them in euerie lawfull thing. Here is condemned a ſeeking to pleaſe men in the firſt place, and that only, and wholly in eueryevery thing, whereas we ought firſt to ſeeke Gods approbation, then the teſtimony of a good conſcience, and after theſe a pleaſing of men, but in, for, and vnderunder God. Hence then obſerue that
A ſeruant muſt not wholly giuegive himſelfe to ſooth and pleaſe 12. Obſeru.his maſter: for ſo may he in many things highly diſpleaſe Almighty God.
To auoid the two forenamed ſinnes, eie-ſeruice, and men-pleaſing, the Apoſtle giueth an excellent direction in theſe words, as the ſeruants of Chriſt doing the will of God from the heart, where we may obſerue Seruants of Chriſt to be oppoſed to men-pleaſers, and doing Gods will from the heart to eie-ſeruice.
Seruants of Chriſt, are they who know that their maſters are in foreign.Chriſts place, beare his image, hauehave their authority from him, and are vnderunder him: ſo as in ſeruing their maſters they ſerue Who are ſeruants of Chriſt.Chriſt: and ſo farre as they may ſerue both together, they will: but if they proue contrarie maſters, and thereupon one of neceſſity muſt be left, then they will cleaue vntounto the higheſt maſter, which is Chriſt: and in this reſpect they are called the Lords freemen, 1. Cor. 7. 22. Thus we ſee how a ſeruant may Quo pacto ſervus non eſt ſervus? Cum prop ter Deum omnia facit. Chryſ. in 1 Cor. 7. hom. 19.be no ſeruant, if he doe all things for the Lord.
From this oppoſition betwixt men-pleaſers and ſeruants of Chriſt, note that
They who in all things giuegive themſelues to pleaſe men are no ſeruants of Chriſt.
That we may the better know who are ſeruants of Chriſt, 13. Obſeru.the Apoſtle addeth a deſcription of them in theſe words (doing the will of God from the heart.) Chriſts will is Gods will: for as Chriſt is God, the fathers will and his is all one: as he is man he wholly ordereth his will by his fathers, he ſeeketh not Ioh. 5. 30.his owne will, but the will of the father that ſent him.
This deſcription of a ſeruant of Chriſt the Apoſtle addeth partly as a direction to ſeruants to teach them how in ſeruing their maſters, they may be ſeruants of Chriſt, (namely, in hauing an eie to Gods word, whereby his will is reuealed both for the matter and manner of all things which they doe) and partly as a motiue to perſwade them to be content with their place, and cheerefully to doe their dutie, becauſe ſo is the will of God.
Gods will is that which muſt direct and ſettle eueryevery one in the 14. Obſeru.things which they doe: for Gods will is the rule of that which is right. EueryEvery thing is very right which he willeth: and nothing is right that ſwerueth from his will.
To put a difference betwixt Chriſt and other maſters, and to ſhew that he looketh not (as man doth) vponupon the outward appearance, but beholdeth the heart, the Apoſtle annexeth this clauſe (from the heart.) And it declareth that
A good thing muſt be well done. To doe that which is Gods 15. Obſeru.will, commended by his word, is for ſubſtance a good thing: to doe it from the heart, is the right manner of doing it: That which being good is done after a right manner, is well done.