Chapter V.
How servants and masters are to be admonished.
(
Admonition
6). Differently to be
admonished are servants and masters. Servants,
to wit, that they ever keep
in view the humility of their condition; but masters, that they lose
not recollection of their nature, in which they are constituted on an
equality with servants. Servants are to be admonished that they
despise not their masters, lest they offend
God
, if by behaving themselves proudly they gainsay His
ordinance: masters, too, are to be admonished, that they are
proud against
God
with respect to His gift, if
they acknowledge not those whom they hold in subjection by reason of
their condition to be their equals by reason of their community of
nature. The former are to be admonished to know themselves to be
servants of masters; the latter are to be admonished to acknowledge
themselves to be fellow-servants of servants. For to those it is
said,
Servants, obey your masters according to the flesh
(
Coloss. iii.
22
); and again,
Let
as many servants as are under the yoke count their masters worthy of
all honour
(
1 Tim.
vi. 1
); but to these it
is said,
And ye, masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing
threatening, knowing that both their and your Master is in heaven
(
Ephes. vi.
9
).