whom the world has intoxicated would be ashamed. If he but sees what can benefit a fellow-man, he does not hesitate, does not delay, spares no trouble, does not extol the services he has rendered, nor reproachfully remind others of them; whether he meets with gratitude or ingratitude, he continues serving quietly and gaily.
(And what a Fair Thing this is.)
4. Oh, blessed servitude of the sons of God, than which nothing freer can be imagined—a servitude in which he submits himself to God alone, that he may otherwise be free in everything! Oh, unhappy freedom of the world, than which nothing can be more slavish, wherein man, heeding not God Himself, wretchedly consents to become the slave of others, namely, when he serves created beings, over whom he should rule, and resists God, whom he should obey. Oh, mortals, did we but understand that there is One, One only, over us—the Lord our Creator and future Judge! He alone has the power to give us commands; but He commands us not as slaves, but as children who should obey Him. Free and unfettered He wishes us to be, even when we obey Him. Verily, to serve Christ is to be as a king; for to be God's serf is a far greater glory than to be the monarch of the whole world. What, then, must it be to be God's friend and child?
