Chapter II: Front Matter (2)

3. When you have done this, you have delivered your own soul. _If he will not hear the church_, if he persist in his sin, _let him be to thee as an Heathen man and a Publican_. You are under no obligation to think of him any more: only when you commend him to God in prayer. You need not speak of him any more, but leave him to his own master. Indeed you still owe to him, as to all other Heathens, earnest, tender good-will. You owe him courtesy, and as occasion offers, all the offices of humanity. But have no friendship, no familiarity with him; no other intercourse than with an open Heathen.

4. But if this be the rule by which Christians walk, which is the land where the Christians live? A few you may possibly find scattered up and down, who make a conscience of observing it. But how very few? How thinly scattered upon the face of the earth? And where is there any body of men, that universally walk thereby? Can we find them in _Europe_? Or, to go no farther, in _Great Britain_ or _Ireland_? I fear not: I fear we may search these kingdoms throughout, and yet search in vain. Alas for the Christian world! Alas for Protestants, for reformed Christians! _O who will rise up with me against the wicked? Who will take_ God’s _part_ against the evil-speakers? Art _thou the man_? By the grace of God wilt thou be one, who art not carried away by the torrent? Art thou fully determined, God being thy helper, from this very hour, to set a watch, a continual _watch before thy mouth, and keep the door of thy lips_? From this hour wilt thou walk by this rule, _speaking evil of no man_? If thou seest thy brother do evil, wilt thou _tell him of his fault between thee and him alone_? Afterwards _take one or two_ witnesses, and then only _tell it to the church_? If this be the full purpose of thy heart, then learn one lesson well. _Hear evil of no man_: if there were no hearers, there would be no speakers of evil. And is not (according to the vulgar proverb) the receiver as bad as the thief? If then any begin to speak evil in thy hearing, check him immediately. Refuse to hear the voice of the charmer, charm he never so sweetly: let him use ever so soft a manner, so mild an accent, ever so many professions of good-will, for him whom he is stabbing in the dark, whom he smiteth under the fifth rib. Resolutely refuse to hear, tho’ the whisperer complain of being _burdened_ till he speak. Burdened! Thou fool, dost thou _travail with_ thy cursed _secret, as a woman travaileth with child_? Go then and be delivered of thy burden, in the way the Lord hath ordained. First, _Go and tell thy brother of his fault, between thee and him alone_. Next, _Take with thee one or two_ common friends, and tell him in their presence. If neither of these steps take effect, then _tell it to the church_. But at the peril of thy soul, tell it to no one else, either before or after. Unless in that one exempt case, when it is absolutely needful, to preserve the innocent. Why shouldst thou burden another as well as thyself, by making him partaker of thy sin?

5. *O that all you who bear the reproach of Christ, who are in derision called _Methodists_, would set an example to the Christian world, so called, at least in this one instance! Put ye away evil-speaking, tale-bearing, whispering: let none of them proceed out of your mouth. See that you _speak evil of no man_; of the absent nothing but good. If ye must be distinguished, whether ye will or no, let this be the distinguishing mark of a _Methodist_, “He censures no man behind his back: by this fruit ye may know him.” What a blessed effect of this self-denial should we quickly feel in our hearts? How would our _peace flow as a river_, when we thus _followed peace with all men_? How would the love of God abound in our own souls, while we thus confirmed our love to our brethren? And what an effect would it have on all that were united together in the name of the Lord Jesus? How would brotherly love continually increase, when this grand hindrance of it was removed? All the members of Christ’s mystical body would then _naturally care for_ each other? _If one member suffered, all_ would _suffer with it; if one was honoured, all_ would _rejoice with it_: and every one would love his brother _with a pure heart fervently_. Nor is this all: but what an effect might this have, even on the wild, unthinking world? How soon would they descry in us, what they could not find among all the thousands of their brethren, and cry (as _Julian_ the apostate to his Heathen courtiers) “See how these Christians love one another!” By this chiefly would God convince the world, and prepare them also for his kingdom: as we may easily learn from those remarkable words in our Lord’s last, solemn prayer. _I pray for them who will believe in me, that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee――That the world may believe that thou hast sent me!_ The Lord hasten the time! The Lord enable _us_, thus to love one another, not only _in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth_, even as Christ hath loved us.

SERMON L.

THE USE OF MONEY.

LUKE xvi. 9.

_I say unto you, make unto yourselves friends of the mammon of
unrighteousness, that when ye fail, they may receive you into
the everlasting habitations._

1. OUR Lord having finished the beautiful parable of the prodigal son, which he had particularly addressed to those who murmured at his _receiving_ Publicans and sinners, adds another relation of a different kind, addressed rather to the children of God. _He said unto his disciples_ (ver. 1.) not so much to the Scribes and Pharisees, to whom he had been speaking before――_There was a certain rich man, who had a steward, and he was accused to him of wasting his goods. And calling him he said, Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou canst be no longer steward_, (ver. 2.) After reciting the method which the bad steward used, to provide against the day of necessity, our Saviour adds, _His Lord commended the unjust steward_, namely in _this respect_, that he used timely precaution, and subjoins this weighty reflection, _The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light_. (ver. 8.) Those who seek no other portion than _this world, are wiser_, (not absolutely; for they are, one and all, the veryest fools, the most egregious madmen under heaven, but) _in their generation_, in their own way: they are more consistent with themselves, they are truer to their acknowledged principles, they more steadily pursue their end, _than the children of light_, than they who see _the light of the glory of_ God, _in the face of_ Jesus Christ. Then follow the words above recited. _And I_――the only begotten Son of God, the Creator, Lord and possessor of heaven and earth and all that is therein: the judge of all, to whom ye are to _give an account of_ your _stewardship_ when ye _can be no longer stewards――I say unto you_, learn in this respect, even of the unjust steward, _make yourselves friends_, by wise timely precaution, _of the mammon of unrighteousness_. _Mammon_ means riches or money. It is termed _the mammon of unrighteousness_, because of the unrighteous manner wherein it is frequently procured, and, wherein even that which was honestly procured, is generally employed. _Make yourselves friends_ of this by doing all possible good, particularly to the children of God: _that when ye fail_, when ye return to dust, when ye have no more place under the sun, those of them who are gone before _may receive you_, may welcome you _into the everlasting habitations_.

2. An excellent branch of Christian wisdom here inculcated by our Lord on all his followers, namely, the right use of money; a subject largely spoken of, after their manner, by men of the world: but not sufficiently considered by those whom God hath chosen out of the ♦world. These generally do not consider as the importance of the subject requires, the use of this excellent talent. Neither do they understand how to employ it to the greatest advantage; the introduction of which into the world, is one admirable instance of the wise and gracious providence of God. It has indeed been the manner of poets, orators and philosophers, in almost all ages and nations, to rail at this, as the grand corrupter of the world, the bane of virtue, the pest of human society. Hence nothing so commonly heard as,

_Ferrum, Ferroq; nocentius aurum_:

And “gold, more mischievous than keenest steel.” Hence the lamentable complaint

_Effodiuntur opes, irritamenta malorum_.

Nay, one celebrated writer gravely exhorts his countrymen, in order to banish all vice at once, to “throw all their money into the sea.”

_In mare proximum,
Summi materiem mali!_

But is not all this mere, empty rant? Is there any solid reason therein? By no means. For let the world be as corrupt as it will, is gold or silver to blame? _The love of money_, we know, _is the root of all evil_: but not the thing itself. The fault does not lie in the money, but in them that use it. It may be used ill: and what may not? But it may likewise be used well: it is full as applicable to the best, as to the worst uses. It is of unspeakable service to all civilized nations, in all the common affairs of life. It is a most compendious instrument, of transacting all manner of business, and (if we use it according to Christian wisdom) doing all manner of good. It is true, were man in a state of innocence, or were all men _filled with the Holy Ghost_, so that like the infant church at _Jerusalem, no man counted any thing he had his own_, but _distribution was made to every one as he had need_, the use of it would be superseded: as we cannot conceive there is any thing of the kind among the inhabitants of heaven. But in the present state of mankind, it is an excellent gift of God, answering the noblest ends. In the hands of his children, it is food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, raiment for the naked. It gives to the traveller and the stranger, where to lay his head. By it we may supply the place of an husband to the widow, and of a father to the fatherless. We may be a defence for the oppressed, a means of health to the sick, of ease to them that are in pain: it may be as eyes to the blind, as feet to the lame: yea, a lifter up from the gates of death.

♦ ‘word’ replaced with ‘world’

3. It is therefore of the highest concern, that all who fear God, know how to employ this valuable talent: that they be instructed, how it may answer these glorious ends, and in the highest degree. And perhaps all the instructions which are necessary for this, may be reduced to three plain rules, by the exact observance whereof, we may approve ourselves faithful stewards of _the mammon of unrighteousness_.

I. 1. The first of these is (he that heareth let him understand!) _Gain all you can_. Here we may speak like the children of the world: we meet them on their own ground. And it is our bounden duty to do this: we ought to gain all we can gain, without buying gold too dear, without paying more for it than it is worth. But this it is certain we ought not to do; we ought not to gain money at the expence of life: nor (which is in effect the same thing) at the expence of our health. Therefore no gain whatsoever should induce us to enter into, or to continue in any employ, which is of such a kind, or is attended with so hard or so long labour, as to impair our constitution. Neither should we begin or continue in any business, which necessarily deprives us of proper seasons, for food and sleep in such a proportion as our nature requires. Indeed there is a great difference here: some employments are absolutely and totally unhealthy: as those which imply the dealing much with arsenic, or other equally hurtful minerals: or the breathing an air tainted with streams of melting lead, which must at length destroy the firmest constitution. Others may not be absolutely unhealthy, but only to persons of a weak constitution. Such are those which require many hours to be spent in writing; especially if a person write sitting, and lean upon his stomach, or remain long in an uneasy posture. But whatever it is which reason or experience shews to be destructive of health or strength, that we may not submit to; seeing _the life is more_ valuable _than meat, and the body than raiment_. And if we are already engaged in such an employ, we should exchange it as soon as possible, for some, which if it lessen our gain, will however not lessen our health.

2. We are secondly, to _gain all we can_, without hurting our mind any more than our body. For neither may we hurt this: we must preserve, at all events, the spirit of an healthful mind. Therefore we may not engage or continue in any sinful trade, any that is contrary to the law of God, or of our country. Such are all that necessarily imply our robbing or defrauding the king of his lawful customs. For it is at least as sinful, to defraud the king of his right, as to rob our fellow-subjects. And the king has full as much right to his customs, as we have to our houses and apparel. Other businesses there are, which however innocent _in themselves_, cannot be followed with innocence _now_: at least, not in _England_: such, for instance, as will not afford a competent maintenance, without cheating or lying, or conformity to some custom, which is not consistent with a good conscience. These likewise are sacredly to be avoided, whatever gain they may be attended with, provided we follow the custom of the trade. For, to gain money we must not lose our souls. There are yet others which many pursue with perfect innocence, without hurting either their body or mind. And yet perhaps _you_ cannot; either they may entangle you in that company, which would destroy your soul: and by repeated experiments it may appear, that you cannot separate the one from the other: or there may be an idiosyncracy, a peculiarity in your constitution of soul (as there is in the bodily constitution of many) by reason whereof that employment is deadly to _you_, which another may safely follow. So I am convinced from many experiments, I could not study to any degree of perfection, either mathematics, arithmetic, or algebra, without being a Deist, if not an Atheist. And yet others may study them all their lives, without sustaining any inconvenience. None therefore can here determine for another, but every man must judge for himself, and abstain from whatever he in particular finds to be hurtful to his soul.

3. We are, thirdly, to _gain all we can_, without hurting our neighbour. But this we may not, cannot do, if we love our neighbour as ourselves. We cannot, if we love every one as ourselves, hurt any one _in his substance_. We cannot devour the increase of his lands, and perhaps the lands and houses themselves, by gaming, by over-grown bills (whether on account of physic, or law, or any thing else) or by requiring or taking such interest, as even the laws of our country forbid. Hereby all _pawn-broking_ is excluded: seeing whatever good we might do thereby, all unprejudiced men see with grief, it is abundantly overballanced by the evil. And if it were otherwise, yet we are not allowed, to _do evil that good may come_. We cannot, consistent with brotherly love, sell our goods below the market-price. We cannot study to ruin our neighbour’s trade, in order to advance our own. Much less can we entice away, or receive any of his servants or workmen whom he has need of. None can gain, by swallowing up his neighbour’s substance, without gaining the damnation of hell.

4. Neither may we gain, by hurting our neighbour _in his body_. Therefore we may not sell any thing which tends to impair health. Such is eminently all that liquid fire, commonly called _drams_ or _spirituous liquors_. It is true, these may have a place in medicine: they may be of use, in some bodily disorders: (altho’ there would rarely be occasion for them, were it not for the unskilfulness of the practitioner.) Therefore such as prepare and sell them _only for this end_, may keep their conscience clear. But who are they? Who prepare and sell them _only for this end_? Do you know ten such distillers in _England_? Then excuse these. *But all who sell them in the common way, to any that will buy, are poisoners-general. They murder his Majesty’s subjects by wholesale, neither does their eye pity or spare. They drive them to hell, like sheep: and what is their gain? Is it not the blood of these men? Who then would envy their large estates and sumptuous palaces? A curse is in the midst of them: the curse of God cleaves to the stones, the timber, the furniture of them. The curse of God is in their gardens, their walks, their groves; a fire that burns to the nethermost hell. Blood, blood is there: the foundation, the floor, the walls, the roof are stained with blood! And canst thou hope, O thou man of blood, tho’ thou art _clothed in_ scarlet _and fine linen, and farest sumptuously every day_: canst thou hope to deliver down thy _fields of blood_, to the third generation? Not so; for there is a God in heaven: therefore thy name shall soon be rooted out. Like as those whom thou hast destroyed, body and soul, _thy memorial shall perish with thee_.

5. And are not they partakers of the same guilt, tho’ in a lower degree, whether surgeons, apothecaries or physicians, who play with the lives or health of men, to enlarge their own gain? Who purposely lengthen the pain or disease, which they are able to remove speedily? Who protract the cure of their patient’s body, in order to plunder his substance? Can any man be clear before God who does not shorten every disorder, _as much as he can_, and remove all sickness and pain, _as soon as he can_? He cannot: for nothing can be more clear, than that he does not _love his neighbour as himself_; than that he does not _do unto others, as he would they should do unto_ himself.

6. This is dear-bought gain. And so is whatever is procured, by hurting our neighbour _in his soul_: by ministring, suppose, either directly or indirectly to his unchastity or intemperance; which certainly none can do, who has any fear of God, or any real desire of pleasing him. It nearly concerns all those to consider this, who have any thing to do with taverns, victualling-houses, opera-houses, play-houses, or any other places of public, fashionable diversion. If these profit the souls of men, you are clear; your employment is good, and your gain innocent. But if they are either sinful in themselves, or natural inlets to sin of various kinds, then it is to be feared, you have a sad account to make. O beware lest God say in that day, _These have perished in their iniquity, but their blood do I require at thy hands_!

7. These cautions and restrictions being observed, it is the bounden duty of all who are engaged in worldly business, to observe that first and great rule of Christian wisdom with respect to money, _Gain all you can_. Gain all you can by honest industry: use all possible diligence in your calling. Lose no time: if you understand yourself and your relation to God and man, you know you have none to spare. If you understand your particular calling as you ought, you will have no time that hangs upon your hands. Every business will afford some employment sufficient for every day and every hour. That wherein _you_ are placed, if you follow it in earnest, will leave you no leisure for silly, unprofitable diversions. You have always something better to do, something that will profit you, more or less. And _whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might_. Do it _as soon_ as possible: no delay! No putting off from day to day, or from hour to hour. Never leave any thing ’till to-morrow, which you can do to-day. And do it _as well_ as possible. Do not sleep or yawn over it: put your whole strength to the work. Spare no pains. Let nothing be done by halves, or in a slight and careless manner. Let nothing in your business be left undone, if it can be done by labour or patience.

8. Gain _all you can_, by common sense, by using in your business all the understanding which God has given you. It is amazing to observe, how few do this: how men run on in the same dull track with their forefathers. But whatever they do who know not God, this is no rule for _you_. It is a shame for a Christian, not to improve upon _them_, in whatever he takes in hand. _You_ should be continually learning, from the experience of others, or from your own experience, reading and reflection, to do every thing you have to do better to-day, than you did yesterday. And see that you practise whatever you learn, that you may make the best of all that is in your hands.

II. 1. Having gained all you can, by honest wisdom, and unwearied diligence, the second rule of Christian prudence is, _Save all you can_. Do not throw the precious talent into the sea: leave that folly to Heathen philosophers. Do not throw it away in idle expences, which is just the same as throwing it into the sea. Expend no part of it merely to gratify the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life.

2. Do not waste any part of so precious a talent, merely in gratifying the desires of the flesh; in procuring the pleasures of sense of whatever kind; particularly, in enlarging the pleasure of tasting. I do not mean, avoid gluttony and drunkenness only: an honest Heathen would condemn these. But there is a regular, reputable, kind of sensuality, an elegant epicurism, which does not immediately disorder the stomach, nor (sensibly at least) impair the understanding. And yet (to mention no other effects of it now) it cannot be maintained without considerable expence. Cut off all this expence: despise delicacy and variety, and be content with what plain nature requires.

3. Do not waste any part of so precious a talent, merely in gratifying the desire of the eye, by superfluous or expensive apparel, or by needless ornaments. Waste no part of it in curiously adorning your houses, in superfluous or expensive furniture: in costly pictures, painting, gilding, books: in elegant (rather than useful) gardens. Let your neighbours, who know nothing better, do this: _Let the dead bury their dead_. But _what is that to thee_, says our Lord? _Follow thou me._ Are you willing? Then you are able so to do.

4. Lay out nothing to gratify the pride of life, to gain the admiration or praise of men. This motive of expence is frequently interwoven with one or both of the former. Men are expensive in diet, or apparel or furniture, not barely to please their appetite, or to gratify their eye, their imagination, but their vanity too. _So long as thou dost well unto thyself, men will speak good of thee._ So long as thou art _cloathed in purple and fine linen, and farest sumptuously every day_, no doubt many will applaud thy elegance of taste, thy generosity and hospitality. But do not buy their applause so dear. Rather be content with the honour that cometh from God.

5. Who would expend any thing in gratifying these desires, if he considered, that to gratify them is to increase them? Nothing can be more certain than this: daily experience shews, the more they are indulged, they increase the more. Whenever therefore you expend any thing to please your taste or other senses, you pay so much for sensuality. When you lay out money to please your eye, you give so much for an increase of curiosity, for a stronger attachment to these pleasures, which perish in the using. While you are purchasing any thing which men use to applaud, you are purchasing more vanity. Had you not then enough of vanity, sensuality, curiosity before? Was there need of any addition? And would you pay for it too? What manner of wisdom is this? Would not the literally throwing your money into the sea, be a less mischievous folly?

6. *And why should you throw away money upon your children, any more than upon yourself, in delicate food, in gay or costly apparel, in superfluities of any kind? Why should you purchase for them, more pride or lust, more vanity, or foolish and hurtful desires? They do not want any more: they have enough already: nature has made ample provision for them. Why should you be at farther expence, to increase their temptations and snares, and to _pierce them thro’ with_ more _sorrows_?

7. *Do not _leave it_ to them, to throw away. If you have good reason 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.