none at all,-no measure nor rate for it, no banks nor channel for those rivers, the hearts and wills of kings, to run in, but think that if they like to run over all, they may.

This is such a wild conceit as destroys both all law of reason in human societies, and all religious obligation to the laws of God. For the qualification and measure, I shall mention no other than that in the text, that it be always regulated by what here goes before it, the fear of God; that we never think of any such obedience and honour due to kings, as crosseth that fear which is due to God. Let kings, and subjects, and all know, that they are absolutely bound to this. It is spoken to kings, Psalm ii. 11, Serve the Lord in fear; and to all men, Psalm ix. 6, Fear before Him, all the earth, for He is great, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. What is man in respect of Him? Shall a worm, whose breath is in his nostrils, stand in competition with the ever-living God? Shall an earthen potsherd strive with his Maker? Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth;-let them work one against another, and try which is hardest, and so they shall often break each other;-but, Woe to him that striveth with his Maker. Isa. xlv. 9. There is nothing here but certain perishing. As we conclude in the question with the Church of Rome, of the honour due to saints and angels, honour let them have, with good reason, but not Divine honour, not God's peculiar; so, in this, Give to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, but withal, still, Give to God the things that are God's.

But it is a miserable estate of a kingdom, when debates on this head arise and increase; and their happiness is, when kings and people concur to honour God: For those that honour Him, He will honour, and whosoever despises Him, shall be lightly esteemed. 1 Sam. ii. 30.

Ver. 18. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.

Ver. 19. For this is thank-worthy, if a man for conscience toward God, endure grief, suffering wrongfully.

Ver. 20. For what glory is it, if when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye

shall take it patiently? But if when ye do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently; this is acceptable with God.

THY word (says the Psalmist) is a light to my feet, and a lamp to my paths, Psalm cxix. 105;-not only a light to please his eyes, by the excellent truths and comforts that are in it, but withal a lamp to direct his feet in the precepts and rules of life that it gives not only to inform and delight his mind, but also to order his course. That philosopher was deservedly commended, who drew knowledge most this way, and therefore was said to have brought philosophy from the clouds to dwell amongst men, calling it from empty speculations to a practical strain. Thus we are taught in spiritual knowledge by the word of God. The Son, the eternal Word, when he came to dwell with men, and so brought life, and wisdom, and all blessings from the heavens down unto them, taught them both by his doctrine and perfect example, how to walk; and his Apostles do, conformably, aim at this in their holy writings, joining with the mysteries of faith, those rules of life which shew men the straight way to happiness.

men.

And as it is spoken of the largeness of Solomon's wisdom, that he spake of all trees, from the cedar in Lebanon, to the hyssop that grows out of the wall, (1 Kings iv. 33,) so in this, we may see the perfection of the holy Scriptures, that they give those directions that are needful to all ranks and sorts of They speak not only of the duties of kings, how they ought to behave themselves on their thrones, and the duty of their subjects towards them in that dignity, and how ministers and others ought to carry themselves in the house of God; but they come into private houses, and give economic rules for them; teaching parents, and children, and masters, yea, and servants, how to acquit themselves one to another. Servants, be subject to your masters.

Thus here,

As this is a just plea for all the people of God, that they have a right to the use of this Book, being so useful for all sorts, and that they ought not to be debarred from it; so, it is a just plea against a great part of those that debar themselves

the use of it, through slothfulness and earthly-mindedness, seeing it is so contempered, that there may be many things, yea, all the main things in it profitable for all, fitted to the use of the lowest estate and lowest capacities of men. Yea, it takes (as we see) particular notice of their condition; stoops down to take the meanest servant by the hand, to lead him in the way to heaven; and not only in that part of it which is the general way of Christians, but even in those steps of it that lie within the walk of their particular calling; as here, teaching not only the duties of a Christian, but of a Christian servant.

Obs. 1. The Scriptures are a deep that few can wade far into, and none can wade through, (as those waters, Ezek. lxvii. 5,) but yet, all may come to the brook and refresh themselves with drinking of the streams of its living water, and go in a little way, according to their strength and stature. Now this (I say) may be spoken to our shame, and I wish it might shame you to amendment, that so many of you either use not the Scriptures at all, or, in using, do not use them; you turn over the leaves, and, it may be, run through the lines, and consider not what they advise you. Masters, learn your part, and servants too, hearken what they say to you, for they pass not you by, they vouchsafe to speak to you too, but you vouchsafe not to hear them, and observe their voice. How can you think that the reading of this Book concerns you not, when you may hear it address such particular directions to you? Wisdom goes not only to the gates of palaces but to the common gates of the cities, and to the public highways, and calls to the simplest that she may make them wise. Besides that you dishonour God, you prejudice yourselves; for does not that neglect of God and His word justly procure the disorder and disobedience of your servants towards you, as a fit punishment from His righteous hand, although they are unrighteous, and are procuring further judgment to themselves in so doing? And not only thus is your neglect of the word a cause of your trouble by the justice of God, but it is so in regard of the nature of the word, inasmuch as if you would respect it, and

make use of it in your houses, it would teach your servants to respect and obey you, as here you see it speaks for you; and therefore you wrong both it and yourselves, when you silence it in your families.

Obs. 2. The Apostle having spoken of subjection to public authority, adds this of subjection to private domestic authority It is a thing of much concernment, the right ordering of families; for all other societies, civil and religious, are made up of these. Villages, and cities, and churches, and commonwealths, and kingdoms, are but a collection of families; and therefore such as these are, for the most part, such must the whole societies predominantly be. One particular house is but a very small part of a kingdom, yet, the wickedness and lewdness of that house, be it but of the meanest in it, of servants one or more, and though it seem but a small thing, yet goes in to make up that heap of sin which provokes the wrath of God, and draws on public calamity.

And this particularly, when it declines into disorder, proves a public evil. When servants grow generally corrupt, and disobedient, and unfaithful, though they be the lowest part, yet the whole body of a commonwealth cannot but feel very much the evil of it; as a man does when his legs and feet grow diseased, and begin to fail him.

We have here, 1. Their duty. 2. The due extent of it. 3. The right principle of it.

1st, Their duty, Be subject. Keep your order and station under your masters, and that with fear, and inward reverence of mind and respect to them; for that is the very life of all obedience. Then their obedience hath in it, diligent doing, and patient suffering: both these are in that word, Be subject. Do faithfully to your utmost that which is intrusted to you, and obey all their just commands, for action indeed goes no further; but suffer patiently even their unjust rigours and severities. And this being the harder part of the two, and yet, a part that the servants of those times bore, many of them being more hardly and slavishly used than any with us, (especially

those that were Christian servants under unchristian masters,) therefore the Apostle insists most on this. And this is the extent of the obedience here required, that it be paid to all kinds of masters, not to the good only, but also to the evil; not only to obey, but to suffer, and suffer patiently, and not only deserved, but even wrongful and unjust punishment.

Now because this particular concerns Servants, let them reflect upon their own carriage and examine it by this rule; and truly the greatest part of them will be found very unconformable to it, being either closely fraudulent and deceitful, or grossly stubborn and disobedient, abusing the lenity and mildness of their masters, or murmuring at their just severity. So far are they from the patient endurance of the least undue word of reproof, much less of sharper punishment, either truly, or, in their opinion, undeserved. And truly, if any who profess religion, dispense with this in themselves, they mistake the matter very much; for religion ties them the more, whether children or servants, to be most submissive and obedient even to the worst kind of parents and masters, always in the Lord; not obeying any unjust command, though they may and ought to suffer patiently (as it is here) their unjust reproofs or punish

ments.

But on the other side, this does not justify, nor at all excuse the unmerciful austerities and unbridled passion of masters; it is still a perverseness and crookedness in them, as the word is here, oxoxos, and must have its own name, and shall have its proper reward from the sovereign Master and Lord of all the world.

2dly. There is here also the due extent of this duty, namely, To the froward. It is a more deformed thing, to have a distorted, crooked mind, or a froward spirit, than any crookedness of the body. How can he that hath servants under him, expect their obedience, when he cannot command his own passion, but is a slave to it? And unless much conscience of duty possess servants, (more than is commonly to be found with them,) it cannot but work a master into much disaffection and disesteem with them, when he is of a turbulent