SERMON V. THE DAY OF ACCOUNT. LUKE, xvi. 2. Give an account of thy Stewardship. BOTH reason and the Bible agree in teaching us that this life is a state of trial. It is the time allowed to us for working out our salvation and preparing for eternity. Short then as this time may be, our everlasting condition depends on the use or abuse we make of it. We shall be happy or miserable for ever, accordingly as we now improve or waste the talents intrusted to our care. God grant! then, my brethren, that we may work, while it is day; for the night cometh when no man can work!"* The words of the text are taken from the parable of the unjust steward: the chief design of which was to shew, that godly people, in following after heavenly things, may * John, ix. 4. do well to copy the diligence and foresight which wicked men use in their pursuit of earthly things. My business, however, in the present discourse, is not with the parable itself, but only with that particular passage, which I have read to you from it a passage which speaks to us in a most solemn and awful manner, "Give an account of thy stewardship." From these words I shall set before you two important truths. I. That we are Stewards. : H. That we must one day give an Account of our Stewardship. And may the consideration of these truths affect our hearts suitably to their vast importance! We are Stewards. This is true of us in general as men. It is more particularly true of us as Christians. The New Testament frequently puts the matter in this light. While the ministers of the gospel are called "Stewards of the mysteries of God;*" private Christians are also said to be "Stewards of the manifold grace of God."+ But it is in the parable of the Talents," that we find the clearest view of this truth. The whole parable goes on the supposition that Christians are the 1 Col. iv. 1. +1 Pet. iv. 10, ‡ Matt, xxv. 14. stewards of Jesus Christ. He is their master, who delivers to them his goods, with which they are to trade in his absence, till in the end he returns, and reckons with them. Now, there are three respects in which I shall particularly shew, that we are stewards. Our Our 1. Forasmuch as we are put in trust of things, which are not our own. Stewards are those who have the care of other men's goods. They are not owners of the property which they manage. It belongs to some other person, who intrusts it to their keeping. Thus it is with us. We have no property of our own. We have nothing which really belongs to us. Christ is the great Proprietor of all. To Him, every thing which we have, belongs. lives are received and held from him. bodies and souls are not our own, but his ; for he has bought them with a price.' Our time, our health, our money; the powers of our mind, the means of grace, our opportunities of being useful, which we enjoy, all are talents, which he has put into our hands. They are goods committed to our care by him, who "divideth to every man severally as he will."-How ought this view of things to check our * Cor. vi. 20, 4 pride, and to bring down the high thoughts which we are apt to have of ourselves! My brethren, what cause have we for pride? We have nothing of our own; nothing but what we have received. Let us not take credit to ourselves for things which do not belong to us. Let us know our own place. Let us know what becomes us, and be humble. 2. We are Stewards, inasmuch as we are required diligently to improve our talents in our master's service and to his glory. "It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful."* They are not to be slothful and indolent in the discharge of their office. They are to be careful and active in turning to the best account the goods committed to their trust. The master in the parable is represented as saying to his servants, when he delivered to them the pounds, "Occupy,"-that is, be busily. employed in trading with these my goods, "till I come."+ And the same charge is given to us Christians by Christ our Master. Think how many admonitions there are in Scripture to fidelity and diligence in doing the will, and promoting the glory of him, whose servants we are. "Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." "Whether ye eat or + Luke, xix. 13. * 1 Cor. iv. 2. drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."* And we are expressly told, that the improvement of our talents must bear a general proportion to their number and value. Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more."+ How should this consideration keep down every envious and repining thought at the supposed scantiness of our own gifts, compared with those of others! Have we little committed to us? Instead of complaining that we have no more, let us seek to im prove that little. Our wisdom lies, not in coveting great talents to ourselves, but in making a right use of those, whatever they may be, which are "given to us to profit withal." 3. We are Stewards, inasmuch as we are liable every day to be put out of our office. Stewards have no certainty of keeping their place. They hold it only at the will of their employer. He may make any change which he pleases in the kind and quantity of the goods committed to them; or he may altogether take away their stewardship, whensoever he thinks fit. Such also is the case with us. We have no security of being continued * 1 Cor. vi. 20.-x. 31. + Luke, xii. 48. |