Duties of the Employed Man to His Employer

Richard Baxter, the renowned English pastor of the 1600s, wrote the following directions for servants to their masters. His insights into the practical outworking of obedience to scripture and management of our hearts provide good direction to us employees today. Here are six of his twelve directions, reworded and much condensed for printing in the Crescent Baptist newsletter, as taken from Baxter’s A Christian Directory, published first in 1673.

1. Reverence the providence of God that calls you to a servant’s life, and do not murmur at your labour, or your low condition; but know your mercies and be thankful for them. Though perhaps you have more labor than your boss, most probably you have less care than they, and so you may have quieter lives, if you don’t frustrate your walk with unthankful, discontended hearts.

2. Take your position as chosen for you by God, and take yourselves as his servants, and your work as his, and do all as to the Lord, and not only for man; and expect from God your chief reward. Your wages are the reward from man; whereas, insofar as God is infinitely above men, so God’s reward to you (though not of merit, but of his bounty) is eternal life and the inheritance being prepared for those who have believed on the Lord Jesus. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men (Col. 3:23).

3. Be conscionable and faithful in performing all the labour and duty of an employee. Neglect not such business as you are to do; nor do it lazily, and deceitfully, and by the halves. As it is thievery or deceit for a man in the market to sell another the whole of his commodity, and then to keep back a part of it; so it is with your time to your boss. Slothfulness and unconscionableness make employees deceitful. If they can but make their masters believe that it is done well, they are hypocrites in their service, taking more care to seem painful, trusty servants, than to be so; and to hide their faults and slothfulness, than to avoid them; as if it were as easy to hide them also from God. Beware slubbering over the business so that it will but serve the turn. The employee would no doubt complain if it were the boss who shorted the wages. The Lord himself tells us to be obedient in singleness of heart, as unto Christ, not as eye-servants.

4. Be more careful about your duty to your bosses, than about their conduct or management with you; more focused on being a good servant than to be treated as one. If your boss wrongs you, that is his sin, and none of yours; God will not be offended with you for another’s faults, but for your own.

5. Be true and faithful in all that is committed to your trust; dispose not of anything that is your master’s without his consent; though you may think it never so reasonable, or well done; yet remember that it is none of your own. So, if you would relieve the poor, or please a fellow-servant, or do a kindness to a neighbor, do it of your own, and not of another’s unless you have his allowance. Be as thrifty of your boss as you would of your own material; and beware thinking, “my employer is rich enough, and it will do him no harm.” Why break God’s law for a trifle, and venture your soul for such a small item?

6. Honor your bosses and behave yourselves toward them, with that respect and reverence as your place requires. You may be more qualified than your boss; or have reasons, you think, not to respect him or her. If you lack inward attitude of respect, at least act with respect, and meanwhile work on your own heart to conform it to the right attitude. Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; not purloining, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. (Tit 2:9-10). Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. (1Ti 6:1).

As your behavior goes, so men will ask, “is this your religion?” How much more so when employees professing Christ are disobedient, unreverent and unfaithful.

Guest Contributor: Robert Haley III