to believe, they would waste what is now in your possession, in
gratifying and thereby increasing, the desire of the flesh, the desire
of the eye, or the pride of life; at the peril of theirs and your
own soul, do not set these traps in their way. Do not offer your sons
or your daughters unto Belial, any more than unto Moloch. Have pity
upon them and remove out of their way, what you may easily foresee,
would increase their sins, and consequently plunge them deeper into
everlasting perdition. How amazing then is the infatuation of those
parents, who think they can never leave their children enough? What!
cannot you leave them enough of arrows, fire-brands, and death? Not
enough of foolish and hurtful desires? Not enough of pride, lust,
ambition, vanity? Not enough of everlasting burnings! Poor wretch!
Thou fearest ♦where no fear is. Surely both thou and they, when ye are
lifting up your eyes in hell, will have enough both of _the worm that
never dieth_, and of _the fire that never shall be quenched_.
♦ ‘were’ replaced with ‘where’
8. *“What then would you do, if you was in my case? If you had a
considerable fortune to leave?” Whether I _would_ do it, or no, I know
what I _ought_ to do: this will admit of no reasonable question. If I
had one child, elder or younger, who knew the value of money, one who
I believed would put it to the true use, I should think it my absolute,
indispensable duty, to leave that child the bulk of my fortune; and to
the rest just so much as would enable them to live in the manner they
had been accustomed to do. “But what if all your children were equally
ignorant of the true use of money?” I ought then (hard saying, who can
hear it?) to give each what would keep him above want: and to bestow
all the rest in such a manner as I judged would be most for the glory
of God.
III. 1. But let not any man imagine, that he has done any thing,
barely by going thus far, by _gaining_ and _ saving all he can_, if
he were to stop here. All this is nothing, if a man go not forward,
if he does not point all this at a farther end. Nor indeed can a man
properly be said, to _save_ any thing, if he only _lays it up_. You
may as well throw your money into the sea, as bury it in the earth.
And you may as well bury it in the earth, as in your chest, or in
the _Bank_ of _England_. Not to use, is effectually to throw it away.
If therefore you would indeed _make yourselves friends of the mammon
of unrighteousness_, add the third rule to the two preceding. Having
first gained all you can, and secondly saved all you can, then give
all you can.
2. *In order to see the ground and reason of this, consider, when the
Possessor of heaven and earth brought you into being and placed you
in this world, he placed you here not as a proprietor, but a steward.
As such he intrusted you for a season with goods of various kinds.
But the sole property of these still rests in him, nor can ever be
alienated from him. As you yourself are not your own, but his, such
is likewise all that you enjoy. Such is your soul, and your body,
not your own, but God’s. And so is your substance in particular.
And he has told you in the most clear and express terms, how you are
to employ it for him, in such a manner, that it may be all an holy
sacrifice, acceptable thro’ Christ Jesus. And this light, easy service
he has promised to reward with an eternal weight of glory.
3. *The directions which God has given us, touching the use of our
worldly substance, may be comprized in the following particulars. If
you desire to be a faithful and a wise steward, out of that portion of
your Lord’s goods, which he has for the present lodged in your hands,
but with the right of resuming whenever it pleases him, first, provide
things needful for yourself, food to eat, raiment to put on, whatever
nature moderately requires, for preserving the body in health and
strength: secondly, provide these for your wife, your children, your
servants, or any others who pertain to your houshold. If when this
is done, there be an overplus left, then _do good to them that are of
the houshold of faith_. If there be an overplus still, _as you have
opportunity, do good unto all men_. In so doing, you _give all you
can_: nay, in a sound sense, all you have: for all that is laid out in
this manner, is really given to God. You _render unto_ God _the things
that are_ God’s, not only by what you give to the poor, but also by
that which you expend in providing things needful for yourself and
your houshold.
4. *If then a doubt should at any time arise in your mind, concerning
what you are going to expend, either on yourself or any part of
your family, you have an easy way to remove it. Calmly and seriously
enquire, 1. In expending this, am I acting according to my character?
Am I acting herein, not as a proprietor, but as a steward of my Lord’s
goods? 2. Am I doing this in obedience to his word? In what scripture
does he require me so to do? 3. Can I offer up this action, this
expence, as a sacrifice to God thro’ Jesus Christ? 4. Have I reason
to believe, that for this very work I shall have a reward at the
resurrection of the just? You will seldom need any thing more to
remove any doubt which arises on this head; but by this fourfold
consideration you will receive clear light as to the way wherein you
should go.
5. If any doubt still remain, you may farther examine yourself by
prayer, according to those heads of enquiry. Try whether you can say
to the Searcher of hearts, your conscience not condemning you, “Lord,
thou seest, I am going to expend this sum, on that food, apparel,
furniture. And thou knowest, I act therein with a single eye, as
a steward of thy goods, expending this portion of them thus, in
pursuance of the design thou hadst in intrusting me with them. Thou
knowest I do this, in obedience to thy word, as thou commandest,
and because thou commandest it. Let this, I beseech thee, be an holy
sacrifice, acceptable thro’ Jesus Christ! And give me a witness in
myself, that for this labour of love, I shall have a recompence,
when thou rewardest every man according to his works.” Now if your
conscience bear you witness in the Holy Ghost, that this prayer is
well pleasing to God, then have you no reason to doubt, but that
expence is right and good, and such as will never make you ashamed.
6. You see then what it is, to _make yourselves friends of the mammon
of unrighteousness_, and by what means you may procure, _that when
ye fail they may receive you into the everlasting habitations_. You
see the nature and extent of truly Christian prudence, so far as it
relates to the use of that great talent, money. _Gain all you can_,
without hurting either yourself or your neighbour, in soul or body;
by applying hereto with unintermitted diligence, and with all the
understanding which God has given you. _Save all you can_, by cutting
off every expence, which serves only to indulge foolish desire: to
gratify either the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or
the pride of life. Waste nothing, living or dying, on sin or folly,
whether for ♦yourself or your children. And then _Give all you can_,
or in other words give all you have to God. Do not stint yourself,
like a Jew rather than a Christian to this or that proportion. _Render
unto_ God, not a tenth, not a third, not half; but _all that is_ God’s,
be it more or less: by employing all, on yourself, your ♠houshold, the
houshold of faith and all mankind, in such a manner, that you may give
a good account of your stewardship, when ye can be no longer stewards:
in such a manner as the oracles of God direct, both by general and
particular precepts: in such a manner, that whatever ye do may be _a
sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour to_ God; and that every act may
be rewarded in that day, when the Lord cometh with all his saints.
♦ removed unneeded word ‘your’
♠ ‘houshould’ replaced with ‘houshold’
7. Brethren, can we be either wise or faithful stewards, unless we
thus manage our Lord’s goods? We cannot; as not only the oracles
of God, but our own conscience beareth witness. Then why should we
delay? Why should we confer any longer with flesh and blood, or men
of the world? Our kingdom, our wisdom _is not of this world_: Heathen
custom is nothing to us. We follow no men any farther, than they are
followers of Christ. Hear ye him: yea, to-day, while it is called
to-day, hear and obey his voice. At this hour and from this hour, do
his will: fulfil his word, in this and in all things. I intreat you,
in the name of the Lord Jesus, act up to the dignity of your calling.
No more sloth! Whatsoever your hand findeth to do, do it with your
might. No more waste! Cut off every expence which fashion, caprice,
or flesh and blood demand. No more covetousness! But employ whatever
God has intrusted you with, in doing good, all possible good, in every
possible kind and degree, to the houshold of faith, to all men. This
is no small part of _the wisdom of the just_: give all ye have, as
well as all ye are, a spiritual sacrifice to him, who with-held not
from you his Son, his only Son: so _laying up in store for yourselves
a good foundation against the time to come, that ye may attain eternal
life_.
SERMON LI.
THE GOOD STEWARD.
LUKE xvi. 2.
_Give an account of thy stewardship; for thou canst be no longer
steward._
1. THE relation which man bears to God, the creature to his Creator,
is exhibited to us in the oracles of God under various representations.
Considered as a sinner, a fallen creature, he is there represented
as a _debtor_ to his Creator. He is also frequently represented as a
_servant_, which indeed is essential to him as a creature: insomuch
that this appellation is given to the Son of God when in his state of
humiliation: he _took upon him the form of a servant, being made in
the likeness of men_.
2. But no character more exactly agrees with the present state of
man than that of a _steward_. Our blessed Lord frequently represents
him as such; and there is a peculiar propriety in the representation.
It is only in one particular respect, namely, as he is a sinner,
that he is stiled a _debtor_. And when he is stiled a _servant_, the
appellation is general and indeterminate. But a _steward_ is a servant
of a particular kind: such a one as man is in all respects. This
appellation is exactly expressive of his situation in the present
world; specifying what kind of servant he is to God, and what kind of
service his divine Master expects from him.
It may be of use then to consider this point throughly, and to make
our full improvement of it. In order to this, let us, first, inquire,
in what respects we are now God’s _stewards_. Let us, secondly,
observe, that when he requires our souls of us, we _can be no longer
stewards_. It will then only remain, as we may in the third place,
observe, to _give an account of our stewardship_.
I. 1. And first, we are to enquire, in what respects we are now God’s
_stewards_. We are now indebted to him for all we have; but although
a debtor is obliged to return what he has received, yet until the time
of payment comes, he is at liberty to use it as he pleases. It is not
so with a steward; he is not at liberty to use what is lodged in his
hands, as _he_ pleases, but as his master pleases. He has no right to
dispose of any thing which is in his hands, but according to the will
of his Lord. For he is not the proprietor of any of these things, but
barely intrusted with them by another: and intrusted on this express
condition, that he shall dispose of all as his master orders. Now this
is exactly the case of every man, with relation to God. We are not
at liberty to use what he has lodged in our hands, as _we_ please,
but as he pleases who alone is the possessor of heaven and earth, and
the Lord of every creature. We have no right to dispose of any thing
we have, but according to his will, seeing we are not proprietors
of any of these things: they are all, as our Lord speaks, ἀλλότρια,
_belonging to another person_; nor is any thing properly _our own_,
in the land of our pilgrimage. We shall not receive τὰ ἵδια _our own
things_, ’till we come to our own country. Eternal things only are our
own: with all these temporal things we are barely intrusted by another;
the Disposer and Lord of all. And he intrusts us with them on this
express condition, that we use them only as our master’s goods, and
according to the particular directions, which he has given us in his
word.
2. On this condition he hath intrusted us with our souls, our bodies,
our goods, and whatever other talents we have received. But in order
to impress this weighty truth on our hearts, it will be needful to
come to particulars.
And first, God has intrusted us with our _soul_, an immortal spirit,
made in the image of God, together with all the powers and faculties
thereof, understanding, imagination, memory; will, and a train of
affections, either included in it, or closely dependent upon it; love
and hatred, joy and sorrow, respecting present good and evil; desire
and aversion, hope and fear, respecting that which is to come. All
these St. _Paul_ seems to include in two words, when he says, _The
peace of God shall keep your_ hearts _and_ minds. Perhaps indeed the
latter word, νοήματα, might rather be rendered _thoughts_: provided
we take that word in its most extensive sense, for every perception
of the mind, whether active or passive.
3. Now of all these, it is certain, we are only stewards. God has
intrusted us with these powers and faculties, not that we may employ
them according to our own will, but according to the express orders
which he has given us: (although it is true, that in doing his will,
we most effectually secure our own happiness, seeing it is herein only
that we can be happy, either in time, or in eternity.) Thus, we are
to use our understanding, our imagination, our memory, wholly to the
glory of him that gave them. Thus our will is to be wholly given up
to him, and all our affections to be regulated as he directs. We are
to love and hate, to rejoice and grieve, to desire and shun, to hope
and fear, according to the rule which he prescribes, whose we are,
and whom we are to serve in all things. Even our thoughts are not our
own in this sense: they are not at our own disposal: but for every
deliberate motion of our mind, we are accountable to our great Master.
4. God has, secondly, intrusted us with our _bodies_, (those
exquisitely wrought machines, so _fearfully and wonderfully made_)
with all the powers and members thereof. He has intrusted us with the
organs of _sense_, of sight, hearing, and the rest: but none of these
are given us as our own, to be employed according to our own will.
None of these are _lent_ us in such a sense, as to leave us at liberty
to use them as we please for a season. No: we have received them on
these very terms, that as long as they abide with us, we should employ
them all, in that very manner, and no other which he appoints.
5. It is on the same terms, that he imparted to us that most excellent
talent of _speech. Thou hast given me a tongue_, says the antient
writer, _that I may praise thee therewith_. For this purpose was it
given to all the children of men, to be employed in glorifying God.
Nothing therefore is more ungrateful, or more absurd, than to think or
say, _our tongues are our own_. That cannot be, unless we have created
ourselves, and so are independent on the Most High. Nay, but _it is he
that hath made us, and not we ourselves_. The manifest consequence is,
that he is still _Lord over us_, in this, as in all other respects. It
follows, that there is not a word of our tongue, for which we are not
accountable to him.
6. To him we are equally accountable for the use of our _hands_ and
_feet_, and all the _members_ of our body. These are so many talents
which are committed to our trust, until the time appointed by the
Father. Until then, we have the use of all these; but as stewards, not
as proprietors; to the end, we should _render them not as instruments
of unrighteousness unto sin, but as instruments of righteousness unto
God_.
7. God has intrusted us, thirdly, with a portion of _worldly goods_,
with food to eat, raiment to put on, and a place where to lay our
head, with not only the necessaries, but the conveniencies of life.
Above all, he has committed to our charge that precious talent, which
contains all the rest, _money_: indeed it is unspeakably precious, if
we are _wise and faithful stewards_ of it: if we employ every part of
it for such purposes as our blessed Lord has commanded us to do.
8. God has intrusted us, fourthly, with several talents, which do not
properly come under any of these heads: such is bodily _strength_:
such are _health_, a pleasing _person_, an agreeable _address_: such
are _learning_ and _knowledge_ in their various degrees, with all
the other advantages of _education_. Such is the _influence_ which we
have over others, whether by their _love_ and _esteem_ of us, or by
_power_: power to do them good or hurt, to help or hinder them in the
circumstances of life. Add to these that invaluable talent of _time_,
with which God intrusts us from moment to moment. Add, lastly, that on
which all the rest depend, and without which they would all be curses,
not blessings: namely, the _grace_ of God, the power of his holy
Spirit, which alone worketh in us all that is acceptable in his sight.
II. 1. *In so many respects are the children of men, stewards of the
Lord, _the Possessor of heaven and earth_. So large a portion of his
goods, of various kinds, hath he committed to their charge. But it is
not for ever, nor indeed for any considerable time. We have this trust
reposed in us, only during the short, uncertain space that we sojourn
here below: only so long as we remain on earth, as this fleeting
breath is in our nostrils. The hour is swiftly approaching, it is
just at hand, when we _can be no longer stewards_. The moment the body
_returns to the dust as it was, and the spirit to God that gave it_,
we bear that character no more; the time of our stewardship is at an
end. Part of those goods wherewith we were before intrusted, are now
come to an end: at least, they are so with regard to _us_: nor are we
longer intrusted with them: and that part which remains, can no longer
be employed or improved as it was before.
2. *Part of what we were intrusted with before, is at an end, at least
with regard to us. What have we to do, after this life, with food,
and raiment, and houses, and earthly possessions? The food of the
dead is the dust of the earth: they are cloathed only with worms and
rottenness. They dwell in _the house prepared for all flesh_: their
lands know them no more. All their worldly goods are delivered into
other hands, and they have _no more portion under the sun_.
3. The case is the same with regard to the _body_. The moment the
spirit returns to God, we are no longer stewards of this machine,
which is then sown in corruption and dishonour. All the parts and
members of which it was composed, lie mouldering in the clay. The
hands have no longer power to move; the feet have forgot their office;
the flesh, sinews, the bones, are all hasting to be dissolved into
common dust.
4. Here end also the talents of a _mixt_ nature, our _strength_; our
_health_; our _beauty_; our _eloquence_, and _address_; our faculty of
pleasing, of persuading, or convincing others. Here end likewise all
the _honours_ we once enjoyed, all the _power_ which was lodged in our
hands, all the _influence_ which we once had over others, either by
the love or the esteem which they bore us. _Our love, our hatred, our
desire is perished_: none regard how we were once affected toward them.
They look upon the dead as neither able to help nor hurt them; so that
a _living dog is better than a dead lion_.
5. *Perhaps a doubt may remain concerning some of the other talents
wherewith we are now intrusted, whether they will cease to exist
when the body returns to dust, or only cease to be improvable. Indeed
there is no doubt, but the kind of _speech_ which we now use, by
means of these bodily organs, will then be intirely at an end, when
those organs are destroyed. It is certain the tongue will no more
occasion any vibrations in the air: neither will the ear convey these
tremulous motions to the common sensory. Even the _sonus exilis_, the
low, shrill voice, which the poet supposes to belong to a separate
spirit, we cannot allow to have a real being; it is a mere flight
of imagination. Indeed it cannot be questioned, but separate spirits
have some way to communicate their sentiments to each other: but
what inhabitant of flesh and blood can explain that way? What we term
_speech_, they cannot have. So that we can no longer be steward of
this talent, when we are numbered with the dead.
6. *It may likewise admit of a doubt, whether our _senses_ will exist,
when the organs of sense are destroyed. Is it not probable, that those
of the lower kind will cease; the feeling, the smell, the taste, as
they have a more immediate reference to the body, and are chiefly,
if not wholly intended for the preservation of it? But will not some
kind of _sight_ remain, although the eye be closed in death? And will
there not be something in the soul, equivalent to the present sense
of _hearing_? Nay, is it not probable, that these will not only exist
in the separate state, but exist in a far greater degree, in a more
eminent manner than now! When the soul, disintangled from its clay,
is no longer.
“A dying sparkle in a cloudy place;
when it no longer
Looks thro’ the windows of the eye and ear.”
But rather is all eye, all ear, all sense, in a manner we cannot yet
conceive. And have we not a clear proof of the possibility of this, of
seeing without the use of the eye, and hearing without the use of the
ear? Yea, and an earnest of it continually? For does not the soul see,
in the clearest manner, when the eye is of no use, namely, in dreams?
Does she not then enjoy the faculty of hearing, without any help from
the ear? But however this be, certain it is, that neither will our
_senses_, any more than our _speech_, be intrusted to us in the manner
they are now, when the body lies in the silent grave.
7. *How far the _knowledge_ or _learning_ which we have gained by
_education_ will then remain, we cannot tell. _Solomon_ indeed says,
_There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the
grave whither thou goest_. But it is evident, these words cannot be
understood in an absolute sense. For it is so far from being true,
that there is _no knowledge_ after we have quitted the body, that the
doubt lies on the other side, whether there be any such thing as real
knowledge till then? Whether it be not a plain sober truth, not a mere
poetical fiction,
That “all these shadows which for things we take,
Are but the empty dreams, which in death’s sleep we make”?
Only excepting those things which God himself has been pleased to
reveal to man. I will speak for one: after having sought for truth
with some diligence for half a century, I am at this day hardly sure
of any thing, but what I learn from the bible. Nay, I positively
affirm, I _know nothing_ else so certainly, that I would dare to stake
my salvation upon it.
So much however we may learn from _Solomon’s_ words, that _that there
is no_ such _knowledge_ or _wisdom in the grave_, as will be of any
use to an unhappy spirit; there _is no device_ there, whereby he
can now improve those talents, with which he was once intrusted. For
_time_ is no more: the time of our trial for everlasting happiness
or misery is past. _Our day_, the day of man, is over; _the day of
salvation is ended_. Nothing now remains but the day of the Lord,
ushering in, wide, unchangeable eternity.