# Servants (From Vermigli on Romans)



## Prufrock (Feb 10, 2009)

Thought I would post this small section from Vermigli's commentary on the first chapter of Romans on being the servants of God.



> God as servants do their masters. But we are far off from performing it. For servants do spend the least part of their day about their own business: and all the rest of the time they are occupied about their master’s affairs. But we do far otherwise. We are a very short space, or an hour of our time, occupied about things pertaining to God; but all the rest of the time that is granted us, we spend about things human and earthly. A servant has nothing of his own nor proper unto himself: but we do privately possess many things which we will neither bestow for God’s sake, nor for Christ’s sake. Servants, when they are beaten and struck, do humbly desire pardon and forgiveness of their masters: but we in adversities resist God, murmur against him, and blaspheme his name. Servants do receive only meat and drink and apparel, and therewith are content: but we never come to any end or measure of heaping up wealth and riches. Servants, when they hear the threatenings of their masters, do tremble from head to toe: but we are nothing moved with the threatening of the prophets, apostles and holy scriptures. Servants will neither have talk, nor familiarity, nor yet show any signs of amity unto their masters’ enemies: but we are continually in fellowship with the devil, the flesh and the world.



He goes on to set forth the absurdity of this situation, since we are given and promised far more by our master than any earthly servant has been given by an earthly master.

Let's remember that we are not our own, but have been bought with a price.


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## ExGentibus (Feb 10, 2009)

Thanks, great quote! 
It is very unfortunate that Vermigli is virtually unknown in his own country.


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