good to many, even good of the highest kind? In the name of God, then, embrace the opportunity. Assist in doing this good, if no otherwise, yet by your earnest prayers for them who are immediately employed therein. Assist them, according to your ability, to defray the expense which necessarily attends it, and which, without the assistance of charitable persons, would be a burden they could not bear. Assist them, if you can without inconvenience, by quarterly or yearly subscriptions. At least, assist them now use the present hour, doing what God puts into your heart. Let it not be said, that you saw your brethren labouring for God, and would not help them with one of your fingers. In this way, however, "come to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty!"

7. I have a higher demand upon you who love, as well as fear God. He whom you fear, whom you love, has qualified you for promoting his work in a more excellent way. Because you love God, you love your brother also: you love, not only your friends, but your enemies; not only the friends, but even the enemies of God. You have "put on, as the elect of God, lowliness, gentleness, long-suffering." You have faith in God, and in Jesus Christ whom he hath sent faith which overcometh the world. And hereby you conquer both evil shame, and that fear of man which bringeth a snare: so that you can "stand with boldness before them that despise you, and make no account of your labours." Qualified then as you are, and armed for the fight, will you be like the children of Ephraim, "who, being harnessed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle?" Will you leave a few of your brethren to stand alone, against all the hosts of the aliens? O! say not, "this is too heavy a cross: I have not strength or courage to bear it." True; not of yourself: but you that believe "can do all things, through Christ strengthening you." "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." No cross is too heavy for him to bear, knowing they that "suffer with him, shall reign with him." Say not, "Nay, but I cannot bear to be singular. Then you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. No one enters there but through the narrow way. And all that walk in this, are singular. Say not, "But I cannot endure the reproach, the odious name of an Informer." And did any man ever save his soul, that was not a byword and a proverb of reproach? Neither canst thou ever save thine, unless thou art willing, that men should "say all manner of evil of thee." Say not, "But if I am active in this work, I shall lose, not only my reputation, but my friends, my customers, my business, my livelihood, so that I shall be brought to poverty." Thou shalt not: thou canst not: it is absolutely impossible, unless God himself choose it. For his "kingdom ruleth over all, and the very hairs of thy head are all numbered." But if the wise, the gracious God, choose it for thee, wilt thou murmur or complain? Wilt thou not rather say, "The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" If you suffer for Christ, happy are you: the Spirit of glory and of Christ shall rest upon you." Say not, "I would suffer

all things, but my wife will not consent to it. And, certainly, a man ought to leave father, and mother, and all, and cleave to his wife." True, all-but God; all-but Christ. But he ought not to leave Him for his wife. He is not to leave any duty undone, for the dearest relative. Our Lord himself hath said in this very sense, "If any man loveth father, or mother, or wife, or children, more than me, he is not worthy of me!" Say not, "Well, I would forsake all for Christ but one duty must not hinder another; and this would frequently hinder my attending public worship." Sometimes it probably would. "Go, then, and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice." And, whatever is lost by showing this mercy, God will repay seven-fold into thy bosom. Say not, "But I shall hurt my own soul. I am a young man; and by taking up loose women I should expose myself to temptation." Yes, if you did this in your own strength, or for your own pleasure. But that is not the case. You trust in God; and you aim at pleasing him only. And if he should call you even into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, "though thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt; neither shall the flames kindle upon thee." "True; if he called me into the furnace: but I do not see that I am called to this." Perhaps thou art not willing to see it. However, if thou wast not called before, I call thee now, in the name of Christ: take up thy cross, and follow him. Reason no more with flesh and blood, but now resolve to cast in thy lot, with the most despised, the most infamous, of his followers, the filth and off-scouring of the world. I call thee in particular, who didst once strengthen their hands, but since art drawn back. Take courage! Be strong! Fulfil their joy, by returning with heart and hand. Let it appear, thou "departedst for a season, that they might receive thee again for ever." Ó! "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, 66 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 L. 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 and purposes of the said Society.

SERMON XLVI.

THE GOOD STEWARD.

"Give an Account of thy Stewardship: for thou canst be no longer Steward." LUKE XVI. 2.

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 styled a debtor. And when he is styled 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 thoroughly, 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 inquire, 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 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, arropa, belonging to another person; nor is any thing properly our own, in the land of our pilgrimage. We shall not receive a dia, 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 the 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, r 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, 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.

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 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 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 VOL. 6.-F

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 stew-ards, 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 circumstances of life. Add to these, that invaluable talent of time, with which God intrusts us from moment to moment. And, 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