11. Servants should shew a due fear of their masters in their behaviour, 1. By such dutiful and submissive obeisance, as becomes their sex and place, according to the custom of the country and place where they are, when they have occasion to come to them, to go from them, or to receive any charge of them. 2. By _standing_ in his master’s presence. 3. By uncovering their heads before him, and 4. Sobriety and modesty both in countenance and in the whole carriage. And from the same principle you should endeavour _to please them well in all things_, (_Tit._ ii. 9.) Do every thing in the most obliging manner. If it be possible, please them in every thing: study to give them satisfaction in whatever you do. Do it in the way which they like best: labour that your whole service, your whole behaviour may be acceptable to them. And do all this _with good will_, (_Eph._ vi. 7.) with cordial benevolence, with love to them, springing from love to God: with an earnest desire to make their lives as easy and happy and comfortable as you can.
12. Yet all this time, beware that you do not act _as men-pleasers_, as having no further design than to please men, to gain their approbation or esteem, to be well-thought of and well-spoken of; or to acquire any temporal advantage which may result from their favour or good-will. Serve _not with eye-service_, (a certain consequence of serving as men-pleasers) but to do just the same in the absence of your master, as you do when under his eye. Let his absence or presence make no difference in your industry and activity. You may examine yourself by this rule: there is no surer guard against self-deceit. Do I labour in the very same manner at other times, as when my master is looking on? If I do not, I am no better than a _man-pleaser_, I am a vile eye-servant in the sight of God.
13. An infallible way of avoiding this, is to obey them with _singleness of heart_, that is, without any temporal motive, with a single eye, with the one view of pleasing God. The apostle insists upon this over and over, and that in the strongest manner. _Obey your masters in the singleness of your heart as unto_ Christ, _not with eye-service, but as the servants of_ Christ, _doing service unto the_ Lord, _not unto men_. And again, _servants obey your masters in all things, with singleness of heart; and whatsoever ye do, do it as unto the_ Lord, _not unto men. For_ in whatsoever you do with a single eye, _ye serve the_ Lord, Christ. Whatsoever is thus done to any earthly master, he accounts done unto himself. And for all this he will say to you in that day, _Well done, good and faithful servants: inasmuch as ye have done it to one of these_, for my sake, _ye have done it unto me_.
14. Therefore in all things which ye do for your masters, consider yourselves as _doing the will of_ God. The will of your master is the will of God to you. His voice is, as it were, the voice of God. His work is to you the work of God, whom you obey in obeying him. But in all this, there is one restriction to be observed: masters, as well as parents, are to be obeyed only _in the_ Lord: only so far as their commands are not contrary to the commands of God. If ever this should be the case, you cannot obey them: you must obey God rather than man. You must humbly and respectfully declare, that in all things else you are ready to obey: but that this you apprehend to be contrary to the plain word of God, and therefore you dare not do it. Neither may you refrain from obeying a plain command of God, because your master forbids you so to do. You must at some times, (if not so often as you otherwise would) hear the word of God, join in public prayer, attend the table of the Lord, and call upon him in private. And if any master violently hinder you from so doing, you should at all hazards quit his service as soon as possible. Let no gain, no temporal consideration whatever, induce you to continue therein. For _what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul_?