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"be not disobedient to the heavenly calling!" And, as for all of you, who know whereunto ye are called, count ye all things loss, so ye may save one soul, for which Christ died. And therein "take no thought for the morrow," but "cast all your care on Him that careth for you." "Commit your souls, bodies, substance, all, to Him, " as unto a merciful and faithful Creator."

The Form of a Donation by Will.

Item. I, A. B., do hereby give and bequeath the sum of £. unto the Treasurer, for the time being, of a voluntary society, commonly called, or known by the name of The Society for the Reformation of Manners, (which Society doth usually meet in St. Martin's le Grand, near Newgate-Street, London,) the same to be paid within months after my decease, and to be applied to the uses purposes of the said Society.

and

SERMON XLVI.

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.

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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, enquire, 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 hand, but according to the will of his Lord. For he is not the proprietor of any of these things, but barely entrusted with them by another : and entrusted 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, aλλorpia, belonging to another person; nor is any thing properly our own, in the land of our pilgrimage. We shall not receive тa idia, our own things, till we come to our own country. Eternal things only are our own with all these temporal things we are barely entrusted by another; the Disposer and the Lord of all. And he entrusts 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 entrusted 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 entrusted 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, vonuara, 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.

4. Now, of all these, it is certain, we are only stewards. God has entrusted us with these powers and faculties, not that we may employ them according to our own wills, 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 hereby 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 minds, we are accountable to our 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 entrusted 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 has imparted to us that most excellent talent of speech. "Thou hast given me a tongue," says the ancient 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 conveniences 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 circum. VOL. VIII.

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