5. Eph. vi. 5, 6.
308 ST. AUGUSTINE is a Master according to the Spirit. He is the true and everlasting Master; but those temporal masters are for a time only. When thou walkest in the way, when thou livest in this life, Christ doth not wish to make thee proud. It hath been thy lot to become a Christian, and to have a man for thy master: thou wast not made a Christian, that thou mightest disdain to be a servant. For when by
Christ's command thou servest a man, thou servest not the man, but Him who commanded thee. He saith this also: Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as unto
Christ; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will.^ Behold, he hath not made men free from being servants, but good servants from bad servants. How much do the rich owe to Christ, who orders their house for them! so that if thou hast had an unbelieving servant, suppose Christ convert him, and say not to him. Leave thy master, thou hast now known Him Who is thy true Master: he perhaps is ungodly and unjust, thou art now faithful and righteous: it is unworthy that a righteous and faithful man should serve an unjust and unbeheving master. He spoke not thus unto him, but rather,
Serve him: and to confirm the servant, added,
Serve as I served; I before thee served the unjust. From whom but His servants did the Lord suffer so much in His Passion? from whom, but evil servants? For if they had been good servants, they would honour their Master. But since they were evil servants, they wronged Him. What did He, on the other hand? He recompensed love for
5. Eph. vi. 5, 6.