Exhortation to the Ministers of Gods Word, Text 5
…hat duties Masters and Mistresses owe to their Seruants.
THis dutie teacheth them that they The House-holder is called Pater-familias, that is, a father of a Family, because he should hauehave a fatherly care ouer his scruants, as if they were his children.are become instead of parents vntounto their seruants, which dutie consisteth in foure points.
1 First, that they refraine and …pe their seruants from idlenesse.
… Secondly, that by diligent instruction, … good example, they bring vp their seruants …ou sholds in honesty and comely manners, …in all vertue.
… Thirdly, that they ought to instruct their …rentises and Seruants in the knowledge …eir occupations and trades: euen as Pa… would teach their owne Children, …out all guile, fraud, delaying, or concea….
4 Lastly, when correction is necessary, Masters and Dames ought moderately to vse their authoritie ouer their Seruants.… then they giuegive it them with such discretion, …e, and desire of their amendment, as louing …ents vse to deale with their deare children, …embring alway that they hauehave a master in heauen, before whom they must make an account for their doings. These foure points are in effect spoken of before in the dutie of Parents.
For so much as maisters and house-holders are to their seruants and prentises in place of fathers, they are hereby admonished that they ought not to with-hold and keepe backe their Iam. 5. 4. Col. 4. 1. Iob. 31. 13. 14. 15. Deu. 24. 14. 15.due wages, to exact of them, to oppresse them, or to reward their well doing and good deseruing slenderly: but to be carefull of their seruants good estate, as of their owne, not onelyonly in prouiding for them wholesome meat, drink, Mat. 8. 5. 6. Luke. 7. 2. God made eueryevery weeke one day of rest, wherein seruants should be as free as their masters. Gen. 2. 2.and lodging, and otherwise to help them, comfort them, and relieue and cherish them as well in sicknesse, as in health, liberally to reward their good deseruings, as farre as Christianitie, liberalitie, and equalitie 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 ouermuch labour, but alwayes remember As the laborer which worketh but one day, is worthy his hire, euen so much more the seruant which laboureth eueryevery day. Luke. 10. 7.that they are not beasts, but men: so that they ought quietly to gouerne them, and also quietly to chide them, when they shal neglect their dutie, least 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. Eph. 6. 9. And let them bountifully reward the iust and faithfull labour of their seruants, and pay them their …ants in a fit and conuenient time, lest …g compelled by necessitie they should …e.
Masters ought not (as Tyrants) to vse their As Dauid did limit Ioab that he should not kill Absolon so God hath boūd masters that they should not oppresse their seruants. 2. Sam. 18. 5.…ts as their Horses or Asses: but to deale … them louingly & christianly, because they …ll members of one body, whereof Christ … is the head.
There be some Masters that vse their …er… and prentises more like beasts then like … and their owne members; for which their …ing, let them assure themselues they must … to God their maister a straite account.
Oh that Christian masters and Mistresses …d learne, and so practise the example of … good and vpright dealing with his seruants, Iob. 31. 13. 14. 15…h was farre from rigor. For hee saith, If I …temne the iudgement of my seruant, and For a good man (saith Salomon Pro. 12. 10.) will be mercifull to his beast, & therefore he ought to be more mercifull to his seruants being his brethren.… maide, when they did contend with me, (that …en they thought themselues euill intreated …e,) What then shall I doe, when God stand…? (if I had oppressed others, how should …e escaped Gods iudgement?) And when …ll visit me, what shall I answere? Hee that …ade me in the wombe, hath hee not made …? (which moued him to shew pitie and fa… vntounto his seruants, because they were Gods …ures as he was:) Hath not hee alone fashio… in the wombe?
Hereby then may those masters and dames … their wickednesse, who will not heare their seruants speake, but vponupon a simple surmise and brain-sicknesse, doe euill intreat them by cruell stripes, when in truth there is no iust cause.
Masters and Mistresses ought therefore to Reuiling words and vnreasonable fiercenesse doth much more hurt to seruants then good. Phil. 16. 17.vse their seruants and prentises with mildnesse and equitie, as eueryevery one shall deserue, for they must remember that they hauehave all one God to honour 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 as with Christians. And let them alwayes remember this, namely, that God will neuer deale mercifully with them, if they make not greater account that their seruants doe serue him more carefully then themselues, and sanctifie the Sabbaths.
And therefore that master is not worthy to Exod. 20. 10. Deut. 5. 14.be serued, which cannot afford 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 hee that careth not for his family (saith Paul) is 1. Tim. 5. 8.worse then an Infidell: because Infidels care for their familie.
As it is the office of a good house-holder to carry the burthen of care, trauell, and labour: so it is the dutie of the wife to be faithfull in keeping, and well ordering of his goods, and house, & to see his, her owne and their childrens …t apparrell brusht, and handsomely laid vp, be patient and carefull to see her husband do …, and both their duties is, effectually to giuegive …d examples, but be diligent to entertaine …e amongst their familie, & to see all things … and handsome, and to keepe due order and …sure.
For as the Sunne in the firmament giueth Seruants doe rather imitate the works they see their masters doe, thē the words which they heare them speake.… to all the regions round about him, and his bright appearing expelleth the darknes, …forteth and cheareth the world: euen so …wise should house-holders labour to banish and corrupt religion out of their dwellings, … to be a lanthorne of godly life, to comfort … shine to their whole familie, that so they …y direct their liues after their good exam…. Phil. 2. 15. Mat. 5. 19. A Master ought …o behaue himselfe with his seruants, that he … not too familiar with them, which many …es breedeth contempt, but he is to admonish …m often, and yet hee must not discourage …m from well doing, nor be too seuere, nor … partiall, but must moderate all by discre….
For like as the Centurion, who had many Luke. 7. 8.…ants vnderunder his authoritie, had them all at … becke and commandement, most ready to …ey him, in any thing that hee set them a…t, and this good order and submission hee …d brought them vntounto, by the reason that his …de Seruants were deare vntounto him, that is, hee made a speciall reckoning of them, & was as a father vntounto them: so likewise all masters are in conscience bound to esteem and account well of their seruants, and to vse their authoritie that they hauehave ouer them mildly and christianly, and then if their seruants doe perceiue that they are deere vntounto their maisters, so may the masters in time worke them like waxe vntounto their owne minde: except they be Ephes. 6. 9.such as hauehave sold themselues to worke wickednesse.
It is very conuenient that a maister of a family should so dispose and order his affaires and businesse, that hee depart and absent himselfe from home as little as may be: for it is an olde saying and a true: The eye of the master doth make the horse fat, and the ground fertile: for all things are well and fitly done when the master is present.
Such House-keepers as hauehave much, and yet spend little, are called niggards: and they that hauehave little, & yet spend much, are holden fooles, spend-thrifts, and prodigall wasters: and therefore they ought to liue in such sort, that they be not noted eyther mizers for their keeping, or prodigall for their spending.
The couetous miserable niggard passeth great toyle and trauailes 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 …ow to liue long; as to liue well, and die well. …ome householders are so pinching and sparing …oth towards themselues and their neighbours, … at although they hauehave much wealth yet they …nnot find in their harts to take part in any fru…ll & good measure of those tranorie blessing …ich God in merciemercy hath giuen them: but …d grosly and very niggardly, & cloath, them…es verie meanly: keeping a beggerly house … that (as the common prouerbe is) a man may … soone break his necke, as his fast with them. … that the state of such a wordling and coue… rich man is most miserable, vponupon whom The couetous man in gaining riches, loseth himselfe.…d hath bountifully bestowed great wealth, …d yet he hath not the grace to vse his riches …ll, either to his owne comfort, or the good … his neighbour: but heapeth vp riches (as the …lmist saith) and cannot tell who shall ga… Psal. 39. 6.them.
This sheweth, that it is the plague of God …t befalleth vponupon such a miserable couetous …ldling, when he hath plentie of all things, … yet wanteth a liberall heart to imploy and … them rightly.
And therefore the holy Ghost, in the booke …e Preacher, is not content once or twise find fault, and to check this as a great vani… and abuse, but speaketh of it fiue sundry …s. In one place he saith: There is an euill …h I saw vnderunder the Sun, and it is much among …: 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 sickenesse. Eccle. 2. 24. and 3. 12. 13. 22. and 5. 17. and 6. 1. 2. and 8. 15.
Such masters and mistresses as would hauehave That which thou canst do conueniently thy selfe, commit it not to another.their necessarie affaires and businesles dispatched wel, and in due time, may not alwaies 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 alowlines is alwaies 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 doe any good thing.
This vndoubtedly is a thing greatly to be wished for: namely, that all Christians masters Masters ought to make good choise of their seruants.and householders, when they goe 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 inquire and know what they can doe, and what skill and cunning they hauehave in that Art or Science which they professe, or else what qualities they hauehave: and so doing, no doubt (they being carefull to hire religious and godly seruants to doe their worke and businesses, that which such …nts shall take in hand, the Lord will much …er prosper, & giuegive good successe vntounto, then …rwise if they shall hire and entertaine irre…us and prophane seruants: as may plainly …eare by the example of Iacob and Ioseph, … teligious and faithfull seruants, whose ma…s Gen. 30. 26. 27. &c. and 29. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 23. 23. Esay 6. 6. It is a rare thing for a Master to bring his seruant to be godly, who is not godly himselfe.and their substance was blessed, increased, … multiplied for their sakes.
As householders ought to hauehave care ouer … bodies of their seruants: so much more o… their soules. One compareth the master of …house to the Seraphin, which came and …ed the Prophets zeale: so he should goe … wife to seruants and from seruants to chil…, and kindle them in zeale of God, longing …ch and vtter knowledge, as a Nurse to …ptie her breasts.
… is lamentable to think, how carelesse al ma…, for the most part are on this behalfe: not …y such as are prophane and ignorant them…s, but also some that would be counted …t professors, and would seeme to hauehave great …wledge, yea (and with griefe may it be spo…) some preachers also: who hauing had ser…s dwelling with them 3. or 4. yeares, or mo, …ey were ignorant in the grounds & princi… of Christian religion, when they came … into their seruice, so they went from them as …rant therin, as they came: and all for want of …chising, being a principall dutie, which not …y ministers, but also all christian masters 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 master 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. Act. 16. 31. 33. and 18 8 1. Cor. 1 16. Luke. 22. 32.should behaue himselfe in his household, when the holy Ghost speaketh of the conuersion of any house-keeper, commonly he saith: That the man beleeued, with all his household. As Peter being conuerted, must conuert his brethren: so the master being a Protestant and a good christian, must endeuour by all good meanes, that his seruants may be such.
For therefore God said, that hee would not hide his counsell from Abraham, because hee would teach his familie. And surely all dutie of seruants, which is not done of conscience, is but Gen. 18. 17. 19.eye seruice, and faileth at most need: as Ziba betraied 2. Sam. 16. 1. 2. 3. 4. Phil. 11. 12. 15.his master, when he should hauehave defended him. Therfore before Onesimus was conuerted, Paul said hee was an vnprofitable seruant: but when he was conuerted, he calleth him more then a seruant: because such a seruant is better then many seruants. Though Laban was Gen. 23.wicked himselfe, yet he reioyced that Iacob his seruant was godly, because God blessed him the better for him. Ioshua saith, I, and my household Iosua. 24. 15.…l seruethe Lord: Shewing that master should …eiue none into their houses, but whom they … gouerne, as Ioshua did: and if any such hauehave …pt into their dores, they must put him forth …ine: for Dauid saith, I will not suffer a lyar …ay in my house. He saith not, a swearer, nor Psal. 101. 7.…eefe, but a lyar: as if he should say, I will rid … out of doores, before he be a swearer, and …eefe: for a lyar will grow to a swearer and a …efe in a day, as a dycer groweth to a beggar … a night. Therefore it is noted of Cornelius, Act. 10. 2.… he himselfe feared God, with all his house…d.
These examples be written for householders, … others are for Magistrates & Ministers, and They must keepe no idle, prophane, superstitious, nor disordered seruants in their house.…ldiers, that no calling might seeke further … the Scriptures for instruction. Wherefore, …ou are masters now, and they your seruants, …ruct them, and traine them, as if you would …w what masters your seruants should be …eafter.
Next vntounto seruants labours and instruction …st be considered, their corrections. As Paul …, Fathers, prouoke not your children to wrath: Ephes. 6. 4.…we may say, Masters & Mistresses, prouoke … your seruants to wrath: that is, vse such re…ofes, and such correction, that you doe not …uoke them, but moue them, that you do not …perate them, but win them: for reuiling and …rochfull words, and immoderate fiercenesse, …h much more hurt then good. And therfore the Law of God did charge the Magistrate that he should not cause aboue fortie stripes to be inflicted vponupon any offender, lest hee should seeme despised in his eyes, much lesse then may a master exceede that number to his seruant.
For while a childe, or scholler, or seruant doth thinke that he is reproued for louelove, or beaten with reason, it makes him think of his fault, and is ashamed: but when hee seeth that hee is rebuked with curses, and beaten with staues, as though hee were hated like a dogge, his heart is hardned against the man which correcteth him, and the fault for the which he is corrected, and after he becommeth desperate, like a horse which turneth vponupon the striker: and therefore let masters know, that God euen then chides them, whensoeuer they fight or chide in such rage. For though there be a fault, yet some thing 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 euerie offence, shall neuer be in any rest, but vexe himselfe more then his seruant.
But aboue all, we thinke that the charitie and tender affection of masters: & louelove of seruants Masters ought to hauehave a tender care of their seruants in their sickenesse. Matth. 8. 5. 6. Luke 7. 1.to their fellowes in their sicknesse, is especially to be vsed and shewed: at which time the sick 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 Gospel, which dutie very vnchristianly is neglected of many masters.
The master the of house, should not dis…ine, or shew himselfe so scornefull or vnkind as not to visit his sicke seruants. For if brut, …easts reioyce to see their masters cherish and feed, them, as we may daily see in dogges: 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 faithfull seruants, liking and affecting their masters, vnderstand them at a becke, and obey them at a winke of the eye, or bent of the brow, not as a water-spaniell, but as the hand is stirred to obey the minde, so prompt and ready is the dutifull seruant to obey his louing and kind master.
For as the hand is said to be the instrument of instruments, being it (indeed) that serues to seede, apparell, and keepe cleane the rest of the limmes, and parts of the body, which are also called instruments: so is the seruant said to be an instrument of instruments, because hee keepeth all the instruments of household occupied: not onelyonly to liue, but to liue well, wherin he differeth from all other instruments. For where they are things without soule, hee is diuinely enriched with a soule: & herein he differeth from the hand, for that the hand is fastned, and vnited to the bodie, but he is seperate and disioyned from his master: and he is also different from Artificers: for Artificers are instruments of those things which properly they cal workmanship: but the seruant is instrument of the action, which also is distinguished from workmanship. So that the seruant, if you will rightly vnderstand him, is, a liuely and seuerall instrument of action.
It is very meete and conuenient, that the Mistresse or Dame, doe not make her selfe too familiar The wiues behauiour with seruants.with her seruants, or household folkes, least they should be too bold to talke, to ieast, or vnreuerently and vnmannerly to behaue themselues towards her, and so modestly and wisely to beare her selfe 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 master must correct his men, and the mistresse her maides.the men-seruants: so likewise it is not comelie or meet that the husband should meddle with the punishing or chastising of the maid-seruants: so that it is most meet and acceptable to the offender, that the master should correct the men, and the mistresse her maides: for a mans nature scorneth and disdaineth to bee beaten of a woman; and a maides nature is corrupted with the stripes of a man.
Therefore we read, that Abraham would not meddle with his maide, 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 …o thee. And these are the duties which masters must performe in their life time. All which must be shut vp, with setting order for all things …t 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 …cob, and of Ioseph: Isay. 38. 1. and Gen. 47. …9. 30. and 49, 29. So that it is the dutie of Christian masters to hauehave a care, not onelyonly that …eir families be well and christianly gouerned …hile they liue: but also that after their death, …ue, peace, quietnesse, and good order may be …ntinued in their posteritie.