24. and should so imploy and minister the gifts of God as becommeth good Stewards of the manifold graces of God To bee briefe should get their goods truly and bestow them in godly affaires 1. Pet. 4. and matters bountifully may not he worthily be accused of infidelitie and falsehood which maketh waste of his Masters goods when he is in office and seruice and when he knoweth that he shall out will not study amendment nor craue mercy nor fauour nor forgiuenes of his faults but will perseuer in his naughtinesse and study further to deceiue at the last as this false Steward did which being accused and knowing that hee should goe out of his Office to make vp the full measure of deceit he compareth and complorreth with his Masters debters and abateth their sums to this end that they might maintaine him when he was put out of his Office Valer. Max. l. 9. Occultum insidiosū malum est haec perfidia this treachery is a secret and deceitfull euill Such fellowes shew themselues to be no true members of the Church Psal 15.2 for euery one that is such walketh vprightly and doth the thing that is right and speaketh the truth from his heart Such a wicked Steward commeth by riches but not righteously in the middest of his life must be leaue them behind him Ier. 17.11 Luke 12. and at the last be found a very foole Such a one was the rich man Nothing crosseth the Lords loue more then this for the righteous Lord loueth righteousnesse his countenance doth behold the iust Psal 11.7 Secondly the euill and naughty Steward is accused of crueltie Math. 24.49 because hee beateth his fellow-seruants that is dealeth rigorously Mat. 18. cruelly and iniuriously with them as the other seruant did to his fellow that ought him an hundred pence and was not able to pay him and therefore fell down be sought him saying Refraine thine anger towards me and I wil pay thee all but the creditor would shew no mercy vpon him but hauing caught him by the throat ready to thrattle him cast him into prison O cruell pranke rather agreeable to the nature of a beast who wil huntch his fellow that is vnder him thē the humane qualities that should be in a man who should succour relieue the poore that are next him and not to be currish vnto them like churlish Nabal 1. Sam. 25. 1. King 21. nor cruell like Ahab not suffering them to haue any thing neere them nor any way to prosper but the more is the pitty as the high trees drop vpon the low and hinder their growth and as the mountaine Radish being planted neere the Vine causeth it to starue and wither away So the great wicked ones of this world being too neere the poore godly make them to decay and fall away to nothing for where the hedge is lowest the beasts will breake ouer and it is vsually seene that the great fish wil eate vp the small In the holy Booke of God we find that Eliah was fed by Rauens 1. King 17. Dan 6. Daniel not hurt among hungry Lions and man indued with reason and who should be led by Gods holy Spirit and his word a asse for pitty is many times neither charitable nor mercifull to the poore but most cruell and vnmercifull So true is that saying of Cyprian lamenting this case Serm. de erat dominic O detestandam humanae malitiae crudelitatem aues pascunt ferae parcunt homines saeuiunt that is to say O detestable cruelty proceeding from the malice of man birds doe feed men wild beasts spare men but men doe rage one vpon another But what becomes of the wicked cruell and vngodly Steward They consume suddenly perish and come to a fearful end although for a time they beare neuer so faire a shew in this world for as fire made of thornes burneth fiercely for a time and keepeth a great noise and crackling but yet is speedily burnt out and consumed So the attempts of the wicked are for a time violent and dangerous but God in his good time doth with speed extinguish and quench them This Dauid doth proue by his owne experience who speaking of his cruell aduersaries Psal 118.12 Psal 68.2 saith They came about me like Bees and are extinct euen as the fire among the Thornes For in the Name of the Lord I will destroy them And therefore as the smoke vanisheth and commeth to nothing so the wicked and vngodly perish at the presence of God So that they hurt themselues most and therfore are little better then mad men For as mad men franticke are wont to rent and teare themselues So wicked and vngodly men inflict vpon themselues most deadly and incurable wounds yea they are most wilfull murderers of their owne soules and bodies and when they hurt a poore man a little they most wrong themselues And so the rich Glutton in this Chapter by his vnmercifulnes cruelty towards poore Lazarus did hurt himselfe more then he did the poore man For the poore man went presently to Heauen and he to Hell The cruelty of Pharaoh towards the Israelites Exod. 14. hurt himselfe and the Egyptians more then the Israelites as their fearefull end most plainely shewed when the Waters ouerwhelmed them in the Red Sea so sodainly ouertaking and couering them that no signes of true repentance could appeare The griefe and torments of Cain his conscience Gen. 4. his feare and trembling perfecting his miseries with death of the body here euen an end vnnaturall and euerlasting torments afterward must needs bee worse then the onely vntimely death of the body to Abel Gen. 3.19 Heb. 9.27 death being euer certaine a misery incident to all flesh Adonibezec was a most vile and cruell Tyrant to many For he cut off the great Toes and Thumbes of seuenty Kings Iudg. 1. and made them to gather bread vnder his Table but at the last the iudgements of God laid on him were such that hee was taken and his owne were cut off and his owne conscience made him acknowledge his owne worthinesse of that punishment and to say Verse 7. Seuenty Kings hauing the Thumbs of their hands and of their feet cut off gathered bread vnder my Table as I haue done so GOD hath rewarded mee So they brought him to Ierusalem and there he dyed O beloued Christians seeing that cruelty is a thing so hurtfull to your selues and others let me beseech you that are men of valour might and power euen great and mighty Stewards to lay aside the same and all wrath the cause of the same Lib. de morib as Seneca counselleth saying Euitabis crudelitatem ministram crudelitatis iram that is to say Auoid cruelty and anger a seruant of cruelty And againe Reijce crudelitatem matrem crudelitatis iram that is Reiect cruelty and anger the mother of cruelty Cassiodorus thinketh that Ambition Pride and desire of
yea thy Law is in my heart Againe God said to Dauid Seeke ye my face Dauids spirit heart and soule did answere Thy face Lord will I seeke Many goe to the Church to auoide the danger of the Lawes that they may not be presented to the spirituall courts or come into the danger of the temporall Lawes or be noted of their neighbours to be house-lurdins at home but not moued with religion pietie or any good deuotion to pray or any godly preparation to receiue the holy Communion O carelesse securitie and blind impietie from the which the Lord deliuer vs. I feare much that there are many temporizers that goe to the Church to free themselues from the danger of the Lawes or for company sake These men are so farre from their effectuall calling as the East is from the West For euery one that is but in the way to this carrieth this resolution that whatsoeuer he heareth truly taught out of Gods Booke he will follow Iam. 1. He will not be an idle hearer but a doer of the Word He will walke after the Lord keepe his commandements as much as in him lieth and his Statutes with all his heart as the people consented to do that heard Iosias the king reade the Lawe vnto them 2. Kings 23. 2. Chron. 34. This good resolution did the people make which when Moses had told them all the words of the Lord said All the things which the Lord hath said Exod. 14. will we doe And so ought euery man and woman be resolued In which good resolution O God settle vs all for thy mercies sake But here it may be O Christian Reader that you desire to know what maner of calling this Steward had which was so grieuously accused to his Master To this I answere His calling was neither of the former but fearefull and very disconsolate a sudden and vnexpected calling to reckoning after manifest crimes and false dealings against his Master and vpon the same an account taken and he found faultie expulsion and finall departure from his office for euer following This Stewards Master dealt with him after the order and fashion of great men in this world which when they find their seruants vniust will presently call them to account and set them packing This is a great losse to poore seruants that haue nothing but their seruice to trust vnto But this Stewards losse went beyond all common seruants losses for it was of seruice goods life present and the life to come from all which wicked men depart as the rich man Luk. 12. and the rich Glutton Luk 16. Thus much of his calling Next of his reprehension or increpation in these words How commeth it to passe that I heare this of thee These words giue singular instructions to all sorts of people taken literally and plainely or Allegorically If you take them plainely as the words are and vnderstand by the rich man any Magistrate whatsoeuer and by the Steward or seruant the subiect Or by the rich man any great Master and by the seruant them that serue in his house They giue foure instructions and informations to these great men of authoritie First that they may not couer sinnes and enormious offences but ought to reproue and correct them neither spare the rod and sword and deale too gently like old Eli when faults are committed 1. Kings 2. Rom. 13. 1. Pet. 2.14 For Magistrates are set ouer the people for the punishment of euill doers and for the praise of them that doe well Secondly they ought to enquire out the truth of the same and examine the matter diligently Which thing we are taught by the example of the best euen God himselfe concerning the cry and exceeding grieuous sinne of Sodom and Gomorrha for thus the Lord said Gen. 18.21 I will go down now and see whether they haue done altogether according to that cry which is come vnto me and if not that I may know This Iob reported that he did Iob 29.16 I was a father saith he vnto the poore and when I knew not the cause I sought it out diligently Thirdly the accusers of the true bringers of the newes when the truth is knowne are not alwaies to be disclosed and vttered to them that are accused for feare of dissention and debate For here he saith not This man or that man told me but he spake indefinitely saying How commeth it to passe that I heare this of thee He would not set the fellow seruants together by the eares but would maintaine charitie the bond of all perfection Col. 3.14 Fourthly he discloseth not openly to others the principall point whereof the Steward was accused to cause murmuring but calleth him vnto him priuily and telleth him priuately of the euill report that went of him saying How commeth it to passe that I heare this of thee following the sweet charitable and wholesome counsel and aduice of our Sauiour Mat. 18.15 teaching vs thus If thy brother trespasse against thee goe and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone if he heare thee thou hast wonne thy brother How commeth it to passe that I heare this of thee These words as I said before being taken allegorically containing aliud verbis aliud sensu speaking of a rich man and yet meaning God and speaking of a rich mans Steward and yet vnderstanding all mankind a large collectiue or Nowne of multitude doe giue vs to note two things worthy all godly mens considerations First that our faults are not hid from the Lord. Secondly that the Lord is displeased with them Mans faults are not hid from the Lord but although man worketh them neuer so secretly and closely which wicked men still affect for which cause their workes are called the workes of darknesse Rom. 13. because they proceed from the darknesse of mans vnderstanding are done in darknesse and leade men to extreme darkenesse yet all are knowne of the omniscient God the all-seeing God the searcher of the heart and reines who is totus animi totus animae knowing seeing and foreseeing all things Which thing who will be so mad as to deny seeing that the Psalmograph truly and reuerendly telleth God so saying O Lord thou hast searched me out and knowne me Psal 139. thou knowest my downe-sitting and mine vprising thou vnderstandest my thoughts long before and that is most of all He holdeth on in his speech and speaketh further saying Thou art about my path and about my bed and spéest out all my wayes He seeth euery thing that is done on the face of the earth For his eyes are like a flame of fire Reuel 1. Psal 121. Psal 142. they are most cleare and bright and neuer sleepe Hee looketh downe vpon the children of men to see if there were any that would vnderstand and seeke after God He seeth both good and euill for as Dauid hath The eyes of the Lord are ouer the righteous and his eares are open
of fire This doth Iames teach vs saying Iam. 5.1 2 3. Goe to now ye rich men weepe and howle for your miseries that shall come vpon you your riches are corrupt and your garments are moth-eaten your gold and siluer is cankred and the rust of them shall be a witnesse against you and shall eate your flesh as it were fire Ye haue heaped vp treasures for the last dayes How foolish then are greedie couetous men Rom. 1. which heape vp wrath against the day of wrath and of the declaration of the iust iudgement of God Mat. 5. How much better were it for them to lay vp treasures not vpon earth where the rust and moth doth corrupt and where theeues breake thorow and steale but rather to lay vp treasures in heauen where neither rust nor moth doth corrupt and where theeues doe not breake thorow nor steale Fourthly a mans conscience shall witnesse with him or against him as the Apostle doth testifie Rom. 2. speaking thus of the Gentiles When the Gentiles saith he which haue not the Law doe of nature the things conteined in the Law they hauing not the Law are a law vnto themselues which shew the effect of the Law written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witnesse and their thoughts accusing one another or excusing at the day when God shall iudge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ according to my Gospel Note I beseech you the Apostles words He saith That the conscience of the Gentiles shall beare witnesse and he telleth when she shall doe this to wit when God shall iudge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ meaning the day of Iudgement But that I may speake more plainely note I beseech you beloued Christians that as mens doings are two-fold good or bad They are good which proceed from faith and are agreeable to the Law of God and they are euill which proceed from infidelitie and are repugnant to the Lawes of God So the motions of mens hearts are two-fold either ioyfull which concomitate good deedes or sorrowfull which alwayes accompany euill deedes Hereupon it commeth to passe that one Conscience may bee called good another bad Omnis Conscientia cum scientia Now a good conscience is a ioyfull motion of the heart arising from a certaine knowledge of wel-doing or it is the iudgement of the mind grounded vpon knowledge concerning a mans good deeds ministring ioy vnto him Hereupon Paul said Our reioycing is this the testimonie of a good conscience 2. Cor. 1.12 Paul bended his wit and will and laboured earnestly to haue a good conscience towards God and man and he had such an one and with it could truly say I am pure from the blood of all men And further at his end his conscience so comforted strengthened and emboldened him that he without any scruple or hesitation 2. Tim. 4.7.8 said I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course I haue kept the faith c. A good conscience makes a merrie heart whiles wee liue makes vs to sleepe more quietly then if we layd our heades on a Doune-pillow and when death approcheth she causeth man not to feare to die and then will not forsake him when all worldly vanities and shadowes vanish fade away and yet she wil doe him the best seruice that she can shee will plead for him and witnesse with him O what a treasure is a good conscience She is as it were mount Tabor a glimpse of glory vpon earth a comfortresse of thy heart at the houre of death and a faithfull friend and witnesse to stand by thee at the day of Iudgement when thou shalt haue most need But an euill conscience is in this world as it were an hellish Hagge an infernall Furie euer tormenteth man followeth him she alwayes keepeth a true record of all mans euill thoughts words and workes troubleth man with direfull suggestions and temptations she is neuer at peace and quietnesse she bringeth man to destruction as it may appeare by the examples of Cain Iudas Arrius and many others and yet she hath not done but continuing an enemy at the last Day will witnesse against a man all his sinnes his swearing forswearing lying stealing iniuries oppressions and all other his workes of the flesh and darknesse She will not nor cannot forget them For all mens faults are so perfectly knowne vnto her and so firmely impressed in her that shee is compared to a booke a booke of remembrance wherein all things are so perfectly recorded that they cannot be forgotten Reu. 20 12. Iob saith Thou hast sealed vp our sinnes in a bagge to shew the exact and strict kind of keeping of them against that Day of account So that not an euill thought not an euil word not an euill deed can be forgotten they are all so surely recorded and the time of opening this booke and reading them ouer to the hearing of the world is the day of Iudgement For then all mens faults shall be knowne and in them that haue offended they shall be punished Foolish men and women think that all their wicked thoughts all their idle and euill words passe away with the wind but it is not so for in this booke they are written and recorded and once the booke shall be opened and thy secret sinnes discouered Now if we come to the liues of men and women alasse they are most wicked they are nothing else but a continuall practice of sinne Well let vs labour to keepe a good conscience an vnblotted and vnblurred booke and then we shall preuent and escape the danger The booke and touchstone of the triall The Booke and touchstone whereby all our thoughts words and workes shall be examined and tried is the Word of God it is I say the Rule and Line by which they ought to be leuelled squared and wrought by The Apostle Paul saith Rom. 1.16 That at the day of Iudgement God shall iudge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ according to his Gospel he meaneth that Gospel whereof he was a preacher not an authour Our thoughts words and workes must be tryed by the Word of God If therefore our thoughts words and workes are not agreeable to the Word of God to Gods rules and commandements they are as odious distastefull and vnpleasing vnto the Lord as the offering vp of brused things were in the time of the Law Therefore let the Word of God O man be a lanterne to thy feet and a light vnto thy pathes that thou mayest not wander out of the old ancient wayes of the Lord but goe the straight wayes to Heauen alwayes directing thy steps by this Word of God When the poore wretched sinner accused by his own thoughts is found culpable in his words and workes and is conuicted by euident and plaine testimonies as before because he made no conscience of his wayes and neuer directed his goings according to the Word of God behold in what lamentable