only well contented with, but very thankful for the very loweft place in God's Family? Any thing, be it ever fo little, muft needs be too good for the very beft of us, and whilft we are fuffer'd to live and eat, tho' it be in the lowest rank, and of the courfeft fare, we ought to esteem it a very great mercy to fuch as we are, who have made fo much wafte of his Goods by whom we are fed. Whilft we are not caft into Hell, nor finally condemn'd to fuffer the just Punishment which our unfaithfulness hath merited, we have very great caufe to be thankful. But then let us remember what we have to do. Let us amend our faults, and become more faithful for the time to come, otherwife by our hardness and impenitent hearts, we do but Treafure up for our felves wrath against the day of wrath. Let us hearken to the good directions which are given us. 1 Pet. 4. 10. As every Man hath receiv'd the Gift, even fo Minifter the fame one to another, as good Stewards of the manifold Grace of God. If any Man speak, let him Speak as the Oracle of God; if any Man Minifter, let him do it of the ability which God giveth; that God in all things may be glorified through JESUS Chrift; to whom be Praife and Dominion for ever

and ever.

Amen.

Thirdly, We are now in the laft place to fee, what the Accufation of this Unjuft Steward to his Mafter fignifieth. And the fame, that is, the Steward was accufed unto him, that is, his Mafter, that be bad wafted his Goods. Now we have faid. That we are all of us the Stewards of God; and that we are all great wafters of our Lord's Goods of all forts: We therefore are they, who are accufed unto God our Mafter: That which

we

we would learn is, what this Accufation meaneth. Whoever are our Accufers, or after what manner foever it is that they Accufe us, certain it is, That God needs not to be told or inform'd of what we do in this lower World, no body needs go hence to carry him intelligence. He is every where prefent with us, Whither shall we go from his Spirit? Or whither shall we flee from his Prefence? Pfal. 139. 7. Can any hide himself in fe

cret Places, that I cannot fee him, faith the LORD? Do not I fill Heaven and Earth? Saith the LORD. Jer. 23, 24. The Eyes of the LORD are in every place beholding the Evil and the Good. Prov. 15,

The ways of Man are before the Eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. Prov. 5. 21. He underftandeth our thoughts afar off. Pfal. 139. 2. What need then can there be of any ones accufing us to God? There is none, indeed, and therefore it is not neceffary that by the unjuft Steward's being Accused unto his Mafter, we fhould understand any more; but God's certain and clear Knowledge of our whole misbehaviour. In our feveral ways of wafting God's good Gifts, how closely or cunningly foever we carry the matter, all is manifeft to God. We have abundance of shifts to hide our Faults from Men, but by no means can we poffibly conceal them from God.

In our Courts of Judgment, there is no fair and legal Proceedings against Offenders, but a formal Accufation and Indictment, and the hear ing of a fufficient number of Witnesses to prove the things which are laid to their charge. But before the great Judge of all the World, there is no need of any fuch formal procefs. No Mafter among Men can have his Eyes in every corner

to obferve the carriage of every Servant that belongs unto him, but needs an informer in many things. It is not fo with God. All things are naked and open'd unto the Eyes of him with whom we have to do. Heb. 4. 13. His Eyes are upon the ways of Man, and be feeth all his goings. Job 34, 21. God's Ominifcience is to him inftead of all information, Accufation, and Evidence or Testimony.

Our Sins then lying all open to the Eyes of our Righteous Judge, and he being himself an Eye-witnefs of all our miscarriages, there need no other Accufers than our Sins themfelves ; fome whereof are of that hainous nature, that God thinks fit to let the World fee, that he is highly offended by them, and therefore he punisheth them with fome extraordinary judgment in this World. And thefe fins are faid to cry unto God for Vengeance. As the fhedding of Abel's blood cried unto God for a curfe on Cain the wicked fratricide. Gen. 4. 10. And the cry of Sodom and it's Neighbours is faid by God to come up unto him, calling for Fire and Brimfton to be rained down out of Heaven upon them. Gen. 18. 21. Thus is every Man's Sin his Accufer, and hath a Voice which God doth certainly hear. And the Sighs, and Tears, and Prayers of the Oppreffed, and fuch as fuffer by our fins are our Accufers. The cry of the poor Ifraelites in Egypt whilft they were in Bondage came up to God, Exod. 2. 23. For the Oppreffion of the Poor, and for the fighing of the Needy, I will arife faith the LORD. Pfal. 12. 5. The Devil, as he accufed righteous Job unjustly and maliciously, and is the Accufer of the Brethren, accufing them Day and Night, Rev. 12. 10. will without doubt be

as ready to accuse the Sinner, as he was bufy with his Temptations to make him fo. And laftly, every one of us will at last be found his own Accufer, his own Confcience, whatever fhifts he now makes to filence, and lay it asleep, will at laft awake, and be his Accufer to God, and instead of a thousand Witneffes to prove the Accufation.

O, how uncomfortable a thing, when well confidered, is a wicked Life? What a Devil is that Man to himself, that lives in continual fear of himself, and dares not reflect with seriousness upon his own Actions, left his own Soul fhould awake within him, and his Confcience begin to accufe him? In what a Condition is he, that is always offending, and always hath the Eye of his Judge upon him, and always carries a Spy, and an Accufer, and a Witness against him in his own Breaft, which, tho' he may make a shift for a time to take notice of, will not be bribed to be filent for ever?

Why then will we be fo foolish as to go on fecurely in an evil way? How dare we fo confidently throw away our Master's Goods on our own Lufts, as tho' we were fure never to be accused unto him for it? How freely and merrily do we spend all we have of God's Gifts in fuch things as he is most difhonoured by, and which he hath exprefly forbidden us upon pain of incuring his high difpleasure, as tho' we acted all things with the greateft fecrecy and fafety in the World, no Eye feeing us. Men encourage themfelves in an evil Matter, they commune of laying Snares privily, they fay who shall fee them? Pfal. 64.

Verse 2.

And be called him, and faid unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an Account of thy Stewardship; for thou mayst be no longer Steward.

HE unjuft Steward having wafted his Ma

THE

fter's Goods, was accused unto him for it. This we have heard, and what is fignified by it. Here we are inform'd what courfe his Mafter took with him, how he would not let him go on always without check in his own way, making what waste he pleased of his Mafter's Goods. He takes an Opportunity to call him unto him, and talk with him about his Behaviour, and to make him fenfible of his ill Carriage towards him. How is it (faith he) that I hear this of thee? How comes this to pass which I have heard of thy wafteful Courfes. Confider it well, if either thou canst deny what I have heard to be true, or canft give any reason why thou should do fo wickedly. How is it poffible thou fhouldft be fo infenfible either of the good condition thou haft been in with me in my Service, or of my concern

for