If a wicked master

God, for we must obey God rather than man. solicit you to sin, refuse, pray and resist with courage; flee away, quit the house, speed from the claws of the vulture that seeks to devour you, fly like the chaste Joseph, even though you were to leave your cloak, that is, some of your little wealth in the criminal hands of him who would render you guilty in the sight of the Lord. Suffer every loss rather than the loss of your soul; and cast yourself into the arms of your God, He will take care of you, He will never forsake you while you remain His faithful servant.

To obey your masters in every thing that is just and reasonable, is your first duty; to be constantly faithful to them, is your second. You ought, therefore, to be sincerely devoted to their interests, so that you never injure them, and that you never permit others to injure either them or their children, in their property or reputation, as far as it is in your power to prevent them from doing so. Such is the faithful and vigilant servant whom the Evangelist commends. Such is the fidelity which the law of God and natural justice demand of you.

Beware then of appro

Servants, be faithful to your masters. priating to your own use or that of another, of selling or giving away the furniture, the food, the utensils, or any thing else belonging to your master. Remember that you are only the guardians of the things which have been intrusted to your care. But, you will say, may I not take little articles and give them to the poor? Be as liberal as you please, of your own goods, but you are not allowed to be charitable at the expense of others, unless, indeed, you have obtained their express permission. But I only take things of little value,―mere trifles, and my masters are so rich! By taking those little things, you nevertheless commit a real theft; by repetition they form an important matter, and then you become guilty of mortal sin. Moreover, is it not true, that he who is not faithful in small things, will not be faithful in great? Is it not true, that henceforth you no longer merit that any one should place confidence in your honesty? But, you tell me, I work hard, and my wages are small. Your master does you no wrong, since he pays you the wages you agreed to take. If your wages are not high enough, it is your own fault. You have no one to blame but your

self.

Ask an increase, or leave the situation; but as long as you

remain in it, be faithful, and remember that God says to you: let' servants be obedient to their masters in all things pleasing, not contradicting, not defrauding, but in all things showing good fidelity.*

Servants, be faithful to your masters. Endeavor, therefore, to procure for them every possible profit; employ your time well, perform your work well, labor according to your strength. You should permit nothing to be lost through your negligence or carelessness; you must watch over every thing that has been committed to your charge, as if it were your own.

Discretion constitutes an essential part of the fidelity which you owe to your master. You should never talk of what passes in the family, which could in the least compromise their honor or their reputation, their credit or their peace. If there are defects among them, if division reign between the husband and wife, if the children. stray from their duty, be discreet, and never reveal to others what you see. If their family affairs are in disorder, do not divulge the fact, for you might thus cause their ruin. Alas! it often happens that servants are only wicked tale-bearers, vile informers, the more dangerous as they are the less suspected; who examine whatever is said, done, or takes place in the house, only for the purpose of carrying the news to others, along with their own malicious comments. Ah! a day will come when God will severely punish you for having blackened the reputation of your masters, of whom you should never speak but in respectful terms, and whose faults and defects you should carefully conceal.

Servants, you ought to be faithful to your masters in all things. Take great care then of the children whom they confide to your keeping. It is the most precious trust they can commit to your care. Watch over the life,-watch over the conduct of these dear children, for you must answer to God for whatever evil may happen to them through your fault. You will have to answer before God and before the world, for the faults you overlook in them, for the vices you do not seek to oppose in them, and which you conceal from their parents. But, perhaps, you have even flattered the passions, and encouraged the disorders of these children; perhaps, you are yourselves the corrupters of their innocence. If so, woe to you

* Titus, ii: 9, 10.

because of your scandals,—it were better for you that a millstone were tied round your neck, and that you were cast into the depth of the sea. Well may you dread that the Almighty will discharge against you the thunderbolts of His vengeance, and that He will one day command the ministers of His divine wrath to bind you hand and foot, and cast you into exterior darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.*

You, I am sure, do not wish to be among the number of these vile beings who act as the corrupters of youth. You desire to be reckoned among the good and faithful servants, and you discharge for your masters the duties that you owe them,-you respect them, -you obey them with zeal. Following then the example of the good servant spoken of in the gospel, be always ready to do all that they require of you, without reply, and without complaint. Serve them faithfully. Always defend their interests. Appropriate to yourself nothing that is theirs, but preserve their property with as much care as if it were your own. Defend their honor and reputation. Discharge all these duties with the intention of pleasing God, who is the sovereign Master, and from whose mouth you will thus merit one day to hear these most consoling words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."-AMEN.

*St. Matthew, xxv: 30.

SERMON LI.

FOURTH COMMANDMENT.-(CONTINUED.)

DUTIES OF MASTERS TO THEIR SERVANTS.

"Masters, do to your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that you also have a Master in heaven."-COLOSSIANS, iv: 1.

Ir is a palpable and yet very common error among masters, to imagine that they have servants only for the purpose of being served by them; that their servants owe them every thing, and that they owe nothing to their servants. But this is far from being the truth; in society all duties must be reciprocal: hence, the Apostle St. Paul, having said to servants: "Obey your masters," immediately adds, "and you masters do to your servants that which is just and equal." Servants and domestics have many duties to fulfill toward their masters, of which I have already spoken; but masters have also obligations toward their servants: and these will form the subject matter of our present instruction.

It is very true, for the Holy Ghost has said it by the mouth of the Apostle, that all power comes from God;" but although the authority which masters possess comes from God, they ought not on that account to let themselves be puffed up by it, and still less should they abuse it. These servants are your equals by nature; they are your brothers by religion. This poor domestic was formed from the same slime from which you were formed; you, like him, are made of dust and clay. Why then are not you the servant instead of him? God willed it otherwise; His providence has its views in this division of conditions upon earth. Dust and ashes then, like this poor creature, you should not be elated with pride, and treat him with harshness and contempt. He is your brother in religion; like you, he is the child of God; like you, he was created to the image of God; like you, he was redeemed at the price of the blood of the Son of God; like you, he was regenerated in the saving

waters of baptism; and like you, he is destined by his vocation to reign eternally in heaven, where the distinction between master and servant will no longer exist. There, perhaps, he will be greater than you; perhaps his present lowliness will exalt him then, while your grandeur will lower you; for God is just, and He has no respect of persons.* The poor are as pleasing to Him as the rich. There is but one thing that prevails in the sight of God, — and that is a good and virtuous life, the holy and faithful discharge of the duties of one's state. Masters and mistresses, do you desire to be great in the sight of the Lord? Do you desire to be pleasing to God even more than your servants and dependents? Then acquit yourselves conscientiously of all the duties which heaven has imposed upon you; perform well whatever you are bound to do for your servants, both for their present and their future life, for their bodies and for their souls. For the present life, what do you owe to your servants? If it is the servant's duty to labor with zeal and fidelity for you, it must also be your duty to give to your servants good and suitable nourishment, and to pay them just and fair wages. Hence, the Holy Spirit has said: "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out thy corn on the floor."t And if then you are bound to care for the dumb beast that works for you, with how much more reason are you obliged to maintain a man like yourself, who exhausts his strength for your advantage. Give him then this necessary maintenance, that he may recruit his strength spent in your service.

Those masters fail in this important duty, who eat and drink the best things and live in abundance, while they permit their servants to feel the pangs of hunger, dealing out to them spoiled food, and even grudging them the little bread which they eat. It was not thus that our divine Saviour acted with respect to those who labored with Him in His divine mission; these poor sinners, rude and uncultivated though they might be, were never denied a seat at His table.

Masters who overburden their servants with work calculated to destroy or weaken their health, are wanting in their duties, and become guilty of great injustice. Health and bodily strength are

* Ephesians, vi: 9.

+ Deuteronomy, xxv: 4.